Black Friday: Scam attempts are on the rise – how to avoid being scammed
Black Friday and Cyber Monday do not only attract shoppers eager to find deals – but also scammers. A global report from security company SEON shows that online scams increased by over 400% during Black Friday in 2024. According to the survey Swedes and the Internet, 6 out of 10 people have been exposed to online scam attempts in the past year. It's time to raise a warning flag for Black Friday!
According to the SEON report Black Friday & Cyber Monday: A Data-Driven Report for E-Commerce, even during Black Friday, scams are becoming "increasingly professional and difficult to detect." They can be of any type - from fake online stores with extremely low prices, to card fraud where stolen cards are tested for small purchases, or scam emails and texts pretending to be from your bank or a delivery company.
At Junglemap, we always highlight the STAR-model as the best protection against different types of scams. To stop, think, ask questions and react if something feels off or too good to be true, is a behaviour that works just as well against phishing attacks as it does against scams in connection with, for example, Black Friday.
How to protect yourself
To avoid being scammed during the biggest shopping weeks of the year, experts recommend the following:
1. Only shop from stores you recognise and double-check the URL.
2. Be skeptical of super-fast "must shop now" deals. If the price seems too good to be true, it often is.
3. Pay with secure methods only, such as cards with purchase protection or solutions that offer are fund option.
4. Be careful with clicking links in emails or texts, instead go to the store's website yourself.
5. Use unique passwords for each account and enable two-step verification if possible.
6. Keep track of your bank statements, small unknown transactions can be test purchases from scammers.
Think long-term – not just during Black Friday
The report also points out that scammers do not take a break when the Black Friday campaign is over, the activity of cybercriminals is high throughout the end of the year. In many ways, Black Friday is closely connected to Christmas shopping. In the worst case, this is the part of the year that can cause us to be hit by a scam. At best, it’s an extra reason to review our security in how we act online, all year round.
