Watch out for Black Friday scams!

Black Friday- great time to get that Christmas shopping out of the way, and also save your finances too. However, be cautious of scammers too; Black Friday is as much of an opportunity for them as it is for us.

What We Saw in Last Year’s Black Friday

A news article from Darktrace in 2024 showed a more than 600% increase in attempted scams during the period of Black Friday. While major retailers attempted to raise public awareness on this, it was still unfortunately outside of their control, and the scammers impersonating said retailers stole over £11 million from shoppers in the UK alone.

With the urgency of getting gifts, work and personal lives, it’s no wonder why this happens; it’s the perfect storm for scammers to trick you, when you may be too distracted to see the signs of the scam.

What To Do

So, let’s go over a quick 2-step process you can use to identify a phishing email that’ll take minutes:

1. Check the Domain Name– a legitimate company like Amazon, for example, will have the email sent from amazon-offers etc. @amazon.co.uk. The last part (the domain) is the thing to watch out for. Scammers cannot replicate this exactly, so instead will attempt to make it look like it is through typography like “@arnazon.co.uk” or “@amazon123584935824.co.uk”. 
2.  Urgency– with AI, it is rare that skilled scammers will be making grammar and spelling mistakes, like they used to. However, the tone of the email is still a giveaway. If something seems far too underpriced, or the email gives an incentive like “BUY RIGHT NOW, OFFER WILL EXPIRE IN AN HOUR”, it’s most likely a phishing email.

Conclusion

Take extra precautions when doing your shopping this year. The figures above show that even though phishing/scam awareness is strong in the UK, people are still being exploited by scammers. Spending more money on a purchase from a legitimate company will be a lot cheaper than risking having your financial details stolen. For more info, please visit the .gov site on Stop! Think Fraud.