Every year, seasonal shoppers chase the best deals to stretch their dollars. With Americans planning to spend an average of around $890 per person on holiday items, the pressure to save is real1. Meanwhile, many households feel extra strain — housing costs and living expenses have outpaced wage growth in most regions2.
Make no mistake: scammers know exactly what Black Friday brings — more shoppers, more urgency, and more opportunities to exploit. This year, the risks are higher than ever, which makes securing your online activity essential. Scammers now use everything from fake deals to scam websites designed to mimic real retailers, making it harder to tell what’s legitimate.
Fortunately, cybersecurity tools have also improved, making it easier to stay safe online if you know where to look. Let’s look at the most common Black Friday scams to look out for — and the practical ways to stop them before they stop you.
Black Friday Scams (and How They Work)
Online shopping scams spike hard during the holiday season, especially for Black Friday deals. In 2024 alone, consumers in the U.S. lost about $432 million to online shopping scams, with a median loss of roughly $130 per incident3. Scammers know this is the moment when people are most distracted — and they take full advantage.
Fake Online Stores and Websites
Scammers build convincing websites that look nearly identical to real retailers. During the holidays, these fake storefronts multiply fast, often using stolen product photos, fabricated reviews, and unrealistic discounts to lure shoppers in.
Red Flags to Watch For:
- URLs with subtle misspellings or extra characters (check for typos)
- No “HTTPS” or missing padlock icon — the “s” indicates secure, encrypted transport
- Poor-quality product images or broken site links
- No clear contact information or return policy (no customer service)
- Recently created domains (check with Who.is)
If something feels slightly “off,” trust your instinct — scam stores are designed to look normal at a glance but fall apart under closer inspection.
Phishing Emails and Text Messages
A phishing attempt is a cyberattack method where attackers trick (“lure”) users into giving up sensitive data, and they spike around Black Friday. These scams often arrive as emails or phishing texts (fake SMS), and typically pretend to be:
- Order confirmations — confirming an order that was never made
- Shipping updates — pretending to ship a product that was never ordered
- Flash-sale alerts — “act now” or lose your opportunity… capitalizing on FOMO (fear of missing out)
- Missed deliveries — entice you to submit information for a false order
- Spoofed retailer messages — impersonating trusted brands using look-alike email addresses or URLs
No matter the tactic, the goal is the same: to lure you into clicking a malicious link and giving up sensitive information. These attacks fall under the broader category of phishing and smishing — both rely on urgency to make you react before thinking.
For more protection, NordVPN encrypts your traffic and helps block access to known phishing and malicious domains.
How to Protect Yourself:
- Hover over links before clicking — this will give you a “tooltip” preview of the URL
- Verify the sender’s email address. Is it legit?
- Go directly to the legitimate retailer’s website instead of using provided links
- Never download attachments from unexpected emails or texts. You could be downloading malware, giving them unwarranted access to your system and data.
If you didn’t initiate the purchase, the message is almost always fake.
Malicious Ads and Pop-Ups
Ads that are “too-good-to-be-true” are everywhere this season — on social media, search results, and random websites. These misleading ads—often called malvertisements—can infect your device or redirect you to phishing sites without you realizing it. Scammers use them to:
- Redirect you to phishing sites — don’t take the bait
- Install malware — this is how they access your personal information
- Trick you into entering payment details
These ads often look legitimate because the scammers’ intent is to mimic real branding — using similar text, logos, colors, and layouts from trusted retailers. Their goal is to make the fake site feel familiar enough that you don’t question it before clicking or buying.
Stay Safe By:
- Ignoring flashy “90% off today only” banners
- Avoiding pop-ups that demand immediate action
- Using an ad-blocker or privacy-focused browser (see below)
Legitimate retailers don’t rely on aggressive pop-ups to promote holiday deals.
Fake Apps and Cloned Retail Platforms
Scammers also release fraudulent shopping apps — especially near Black Friday — to steal credit card info or install spyware. These apps sometimes appear in unofficial app stores but can occasionally slip into trusted ones if they mimic real brands.
Avoid This By:
- Downloading apps only from official stores (Google Play, Apple App Store, F-Droid, etc.)
- Checking reviews for consistency
- Confirming the developer name matches the real company
- Avoiding apps that require payment info before browsing
Many of these apps lead directly to fake websites or full scam websites built to steal payment information. If a retailer forces you to download an app to “unlock a deal,” (or similar phrasing) that’s a major red flag. There’s no valid reason for a retailer to require that.
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The Right Tools for Safe Online Shopping
Not every scam is easy to spot. Scammers hide behind convincing websites, polished ads, and realistic phishing messages. The good news is that online shopping tools can make you much safer, and you don’t need any technical skills to use them. Before you buy, you can run a quick check with a website malware checker to see if a site is safe.
Threat Protection Tools
Tools like NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro block malicious sites, dangerous downloads, phishing links, and fake storefronts before you interact with them. It runs automatically in the background, making it one of the easiest ways to shop safely.
What these tools help with:
- Blocking scam URLs
- Detecting fake online shops
- Preventing malware downloads
- Filtering unsafe ads and trackers
Independent testers consistently rank NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro among the top performers for online safety. AV-TEST found it blocked 83% of malicious websites, while AV-Comparatives confirmed it stopped 90% of phishing attacks without false positives. West Coast Labs also reported a 99.8% detection rate in real-world conditions — strong reassurance for anyone shopping online this season. In practice, it works like a scam site checker, blocking dangerous pages before they load. Your data deserves better – secure it now with NordVPN.
If you prefer something more dedicated to malware scanning, Malwarebytes or Bitdefender are great alternatives.
Password Managers
Using the same password across multiple shopping accounts is one of the biggest risks you can take during the holiday season. It is not recommended to use repeated passwords at any other time either.
Why use one:
- Prevents account takeovers: using strong, unique passwords means that if one account is breached, other accounts remain secure
- Auto-fills your login info safely on the legitimate website, which helps prevent phishing
- Secure storage: Passwords are stored in an encrypted vault protected by a master password, meaning even if the manager itself is hacked, your passwords are unreadable.
If you want better protection than standard browser autofill, upgrading to a password manager is the natural next step. NordPass encrypts everything locally, making it one of the simplest and most secure tools you can start using today.
Secure your accounts with NordPass using strong, unique passwords for every login.
Privacy-Focused Browsers and Extensions
Your browser is the gateway to your online activity — and it’s a common entry point for scams. Many threats come through ads, pop-ups, or hidden tracking scripts. Popular browsers like Chrome and Edge collect a lot of user data for ad-targeting, which isn’t ideal for data privacy or security. Switching to a privacy-focused browser helps block many of these risks while reducing data collection.
Helpful tools include:
- Brave Browser — built-in ad and tracker blocking with strong default privacy protections.
- Firefox — open-source and privacy-respectful, especially when paired with extensions like uBlock Origin.
- uBlock Origin — a lightweight, open-source ad-blocker that filters malicious ads and prevents shady redirects.
- Privacy Badger — blocks hidden trackers and protects against behavior-based tracking.
These free tools reduce your exposure to malicious ads and shady redirects without slowing you down. If you want a more complete list of privacy-first options, check out our DeGoogle page for a full lineup of Google-free alternatives.
Secure Shopping Habits That Actually Work
These simple habits make online shopping safer and help you avoid the most common Black Friday scams:
- Double-check URLs before paying
- Shop only from verified retailers
- Use virtual wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay for tokenized security
- Keep your device and browser updated
- Use unique passwords and enable 2FA wherever possible
- Avoid public Wi-Fi, or use a VPN if you have no choice
Simple, minor steps like these will offer you much more protection.
What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed
If you have already become a victim of a scam, don’t panic. There are still steps you can take to get your money back, or at least prevent it from happening again to you, or other people you may know. Take these actions to safeguard your finances and personal information before it continues:
- Contact your bank or payment provider — request a chargeback or freeze on your account. Most financial institutions are prepared for fraud cases and can act quickly to protect your funds
- Change passwords immediately and enable 2FA on any affected accounts
- Run a malware scan — using something like NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro or Malwarebytes for a deeper check
- Report the scam — file with the FTC, IC3.gov, or your local consumer protection agency to help with recovery and prevent others from being targeted
Scams happen to millions of people every year, and the most important thing is how quickly you respond. Acting fast limits the damage and gives you the best chance of recovering your money while strengthening your security going forward.
See why NordVPN is considered the #1 VPN worldwide.
Conclusion
Staying safe online is one of the best “deals” you can give yourself this Black Friday. A few smart habits and the right tools can protect your money, your identity, and your peace of mind. If you’re ready to strengthen your security even further, explore our DeGoogle page, try a trusted password manager, or enable NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro for added protection while you shop.
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- NRF expects holiday sales to surpass $1 trillion ↩︎
- Rent housing prices and demographics ↩︎
- eCommerce Fraud Statistics ↩︎
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