- Pro
- Security
Scammers are hunting for victims this Black Friday
Comments (0) ()When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Ken Stocker)
- Black Friday 2025 is almost here, and scams are already underway
- Your inbox is likely full of spam, but half of it could be a convincing scam
- There are plenty of ways to stay safe this Black Friday
Scammers love a sales season, especially when people are looking for a bargain.
US consumers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday 2024, so it’s rich pickings for the less reputable, and new research from Bitdefender has claimed out of all the Black Friday spam you might have received, over half of it (53%) could be classed as a scam.
To no one’s surprise, most of the scams impersonate Amazon, which often peddles too-goo-to-be-true discounts during the Black Friday sales.
You may like-
Online scams skyrocket before Black Friday – NordVPN warns what shoppers should watch out for
-
Black Friday scams are everywhere now – here are the 5 best ways to stay safe
-
Cybercriminals used more than 100,000 websites ahead of Amazon's October Prime Day to fleece customers looking for a deal - here's what you should know about staying safe
Bye-bye bank account
Bitdefender notes Black Friday spam mostly targets North America, with 60% of emails landing in a US inbox. Germany (12%), Ireland (7%), South Africa (4%), and the UK (3%) make up the rest of the list.
Much of the spam is self-inflicted, with 43% of spam emails originating from the US. Strangely, the Netherlands (14%) and Indonesia (13%) take second and third place for spam origination.
Scammers are also getting far more skilled in impersonating brands with clever campaigns. One example involved scammers impersonating United Healthcare in order to harvest user data with a ‘Black Friday Smile Upgrade’ email offering promotions on Oral-B dental kits.
Outside of Amazon and United Healthcare, bargain hunters should also be especially wary of offers from brands such as MediaMarkt, TEMU, IKEA, Kaufland, Grohe, Binance, Louis Vuitton, Jack Daniel’s, and even Reese’s.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletterContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.When it comes to verifying if a promotion is legitimate or not, Bitdefender recommends some simply checks:
- Check promotions on the legitimate website first. If it isn’t there, it might be a scam.
- Scammers know people are expecting deliveries, so be extra vigilant when receiving delivery updates.
- Tools like Bitdefender’s Link Checker can be used to verify if a link is safe.
- Suspicious messages can be verified with Bitdefender Scamio.
- If you are on the lookout for a Black Friday bargain, be sure to have the best antivirus software active and on the lookout for potential threats.
If you’re in need of some upgraded security, take a look at my roundup of the best Black Friday antivirus deals.
The best antivirus for all budgetsOur top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons➡️ Read our full guide to the best antivirus1. Best overall:Bitdefender Total Security2. Best for families:Norton 360 with LifeLock3. Best for mobile:McAfee Mobile Security
TOPICS Black Friday
Benedict CollinsSocial Links NavigationSenior Writer, SecurityBenedict has been with TechRadar Pro for over two years, and has specialized in writing about cybersecurity, threat intelligence, and B2B security solutions. His coverage explores the critical areas of national security, including state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, critical infrastructure, and social engineering.
Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, providing him with a strong academic foundation for his reporting on geopolitics, threat intelligence, and cyber-warfare.
Prior to his postgraduate studies, Benedict earned a BA in Politics with Journalism, providing him with the skills to translate complex political and security issues into comprehensible copy.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Logout Read more
Online scams skyrocket before Black Friday – NordVPN warns what shoppers should watch out for
Black Friday scams are everywhere now – here are the 5 best ways to stay safe
Cybercriminals used more than 100,000 websites ahead of Amazon's October Prime Day to fleece customers looking for a deal - here's what you should know about staying safe
AI scams surge: how consumers and businesses can stay safe
Can you spot an AI-generated scam?
The unbearable lightness of getting scammed: Future of full scale cybersecurity
Latest in Security
D-Link routers under threat from dangerous flaw - here's how to stay safe
Second-order prompt injection can turn AI into a malicious insider
AI agents are fuelling an identity and security crisis for organizations
US FCC repeals cybersecurity rules aimed at preventing Salt Typhoon-esque attacks
SonicWall tells customers to patch SonicOS flaw allowing hackers to crash firewalls
Salesforce says customer data may be exposed in Gainsight incident - "unusual activity" being probed
Latest in News
Comet AI browser lands on Android
Mullvad VPN adds ultra-fast obfuscation to beat WireGuard blocking
Black Friday scams are everywhere now – here are the 5 best ways to stay safe
X was down again – here's how its latest outage played out
Jimdo adds AI to its website builder, promises better business outcomes
ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from Google's AirDrop surprise to Gemini 3
LATEST ARTICLES- 1My favorite VPN for gaming just dropped its prices by up to 77% − here's how to grab yours
- 2When is Spotify Wrapped 2025 going to land? Here's what we know
- 3ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from Google's AirDrop surprise to Gemini 3
- 4The Shark PowerPro is the best-value vacuum cleaner I've tested
- 5I tried the Analogue 3D, but is the Nintendo 64 worth reliving?
