There’s no doubt that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are big business for retailers.  The number of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers in the U.S. now exceeds 100 million and we spent $9 billion in 2020.  But for all the big deals and huge discounts, it’s a bonanza for scammers too.  They prey on the frenetic urgency and excitement around shopping season.  Here’s how to step back, analyze their offer with a rational head, and protect yourself against the most common Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams. 

The Most Common BFCM Scams

Speed is of the essence around Thanksgiving shopping season, so most Black Friday scams do not need to be particularly sophisticated.  Instead, they simply need to apply enough pressure and urgency to persuade victims to snatch up a deal and part with their cash before any skepticism kicks in. 

Fake Online Stores

Fake or spoof online stores that take orders (and payments) for products with no intention of delivering them.  The link to these stores usually comes from an unsolicited email or text with an offer that seems (and is) too good to be true.

Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks by email or text that take advantage of a busier seasonal inbox.  The goal is to entice you to click on a link before really checking the credentials.  Poof!  Your personally identifiable information (PII) is compromised and the scammer creates a false identity from your details. 

Fake Charity Donations

Shopping season for some is also goodwill season for others.  Scammers will exploit this vulnerability with phone calls, texts, emails and even social media posts requesting donations for charities that don’t exist.  Avoid this scam by using a service such as Charity Navigator as the portal for your charity donations. 

Fake Delivery Scams

Fraudsters know that you’re expecting packages over the holiday season.  They will send you a text that appears to be from USPS or FedEx, for example, asking you to click on a link to confirm account details or settle excess delivery charges.  It’s another phishing scam, however.  

How To Avoid Them

A failsafe tactic over Black Friday weekend is to slow down, make decisions at your own pace rather than succumb to the false urgency of the retailer, and check credentials thoroughly for any offer that looks suspiciously generous.  

Here are some telltale signs: 

• The e-commerce website has no SSL encryption (padlock icon), meaning that it is not verified and secured.  There may also be incomplete contact information or company number in the footer. 
• The seller asks you to pay with a gift card that you of course need to purchase through them.  That’s the calling card of a scammer. 
• The seller asks you to wire money to an account that does not match the alleged business name. 
• For sellers on open marketplaces (Amazon, eBay, Facebook, etc.), there are no verified reviews or ratings but plenty of fake ones.  If the person claims to be an authorized vendor for another brand, there is no link to the corporate website. 

How To Protect Yourself

Avoid any purchase that does not come with a verified tracking number from an established shipper.  Beware that fraudsters can direct you to a spoofed UPS or FedEx site, so check the SSL certificate (the legitimate versions of these websites should feature a URL that begins with “https” instead of “http”).   If you do pay for an item, use a credit card to limit your liability and make charge-back easier.  Should you suspect that you have been scammed, contact your bank, credit card company or PayPal immediately to dispute the payment and report the scammer. 

The safest way to secure your shopping cart over Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend is to take a proactive approach to sleuthing.  Hunt down the scammers with the same energy as you track down the deals using Spokeo’s suite of tools.  A quick reverse phone lookup can immediately identify numbers that are linked to a private person rather than a purported online retailer. You may also be able to see where else their number or email is listed online, so you’ll know who you’re really dealing with behind the discounts. 

References:

• NBC – Black Friday and Cyber Monday Scams: How To Stay Safe and Shop Online  
• Norton – 6 Black Friday Scams and How To Avoid Them This Holiday Season 
• Internet Crime Complaint Center – Home Page