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The criminals have been plotting for months. The traps have been set, the traps have been set, and now all they have to do is wait for the clicks.
Today is expected to be the busiest shopping day of the year, but it is also the most dangerous for online shoppers. Fraudulent deals, phishing attacks and fake websites are already plaguing the internet as scammers look to take advantage of the sales frenzy. black Friday,
With cyber security professionals referring to it as ‘Black Fraud Day’ due to the increasing number of people falling victim to scams, this year’s edition is expected to be one of the worst ever.
Attacks can take many forms: fake delivery texts with suspicious links, unsolicited emails offering too-good deals, and fake online advertisements impersonating popular retailers.
Hackers are also taking advantage of artificial intelligence tools to automate attacks and make threats even more difficult to detect.
“Fraudsters are targeting bargain hunters with increasingly sophisticated scams, sometimes crafted using AI, making them harder to detect,” said Dr. Megha Kumar, chief product officer at data security firm CyXcel. Independent,
“Scammers take advantage of the increased transaction volume by making fraudulent offers, often luring unsuspecting buyers to fake e-commerce sites where their payment details are compromised.”
These fake websites mimic the online storefronts of legitimate retailers, tricking shoppers into visiting them through attractive advertisements and promoted posts on social media. They are designed to steal people’s credit card details, or even their entire online identity. Developed using new AI tools, they can be difficult to distinguish from the real thing.
Data from security platform NordVPN shows that fake Amazon storefronts have increased by more than 200 percent in recent days, and fraudulent eBay sites have increased by more than 500 percent.
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A spokesperson for NordVPN said, “Many of these sites are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing,” adding, “The verification checkout pages are designed solely to capture personal and payment information.”
According to a recent survey of more than 30,000 people from 185 countries, the majority of people (68 percent) are unable to identify fake websites.
Malicious links embedded in emails are also on the rise, leading buyers to these scam stores. According to cybersecurity company Darktrace, phishing emails targeting Black Friday shoppers have increased by more than 620 percent.
UK Finance’s Annual Fraud Report 2025 revealed that this type of fraud is becoming increasingly effective, with total fraud losses exceeding £1.1 billion last year.
Another tactic may come from the retailers themselves, who raise prices in the weeks leading up to Black Friday to offer artificial discounts when the day arrives. One way to check for such sales is through price tracker sites like PriceLasso or CamelCamelCamel, which allow you to check the price history of a product to see if it’s really a good deal.
Security experts and consumer watchdogs recommend being especially careful during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales: double-check URLs, don’t be suspicious of emails and texts from sellers or delivery services, avoid shopping on public WiFi, and monitor bank transactions.
With increasingly sophisticated techniques to bypass systems that detect scam ads and emails, industry figures say vigilance is the key to staying safe online.
“It’s not just about detecting malicious links. Instead it’s about rewriting the behavior,” said David Higgins, chief technology officer at software firm CyberArk.
“Each year, phishing attacks remain the leading cause of fraud because they exploit human instincts, and no technology can fully compensate for even a moment of mistrust.
“Cybersecurity is a technical issue as well as a cultural issue. Real resilience comes from combining strong identity controls with a culture that encourages people to stop, question, and verify before they click.”
Below is an excerpt from the article The Independent’S IndiTech Newsletter, To sign up, simply enter your email address in the box at the top of the page.