The holiday shopping season has started early this year and there are already some great Black Friday deals to be had. However, while Black Friday is one of the busiest days of the year for retailers, this also holds true for cybercriminals.
According to Adobe (opens in new tab), American shoppers spent almost $9 billion last year on Black Friday alone and cybercriminals certainly want a piece of the action. This is why they’ve already begun setting up fake websites, email addresses and more to try and con shoppers out of their hard-earned cash.
Checking off everyone on your list this year while saving quite a bit of money is one of the best reasons to shop online this Black Friday. However, if you have your bank account emptied or your identity stolen in the process, you’ll actually end up losing more than you saved.
To help you safely find the best deals on the biggest shopping day of the year, these are the most common Black Friday scams along with some tips on how to avoid falling for them and even some steps you can take if you do get conned.
The most common Black Friday scams
The cybercriminals behind many of the Black Friday scams detailed below are trying to play on your emotions to instill a sense of urgency. When you’re excited about a great deal or worried you might miss out on it, you are much more likely to take unnecessary risks like shopping at an unfamiliar site or providing sensitive information you wouldn’t normally give away. In order to shop…
