How to Avoid Black Friday Scams in 2025: Safe Online Shopping
- Nov 6
- 8 min read
Updated: Nov 11
Every November, your inbox floods with “exclusive” offers and social feeds turn into a blur of discounts. It’s exciting, until you remember not every deal is real. Black Friday scams have turned the year’s biggest shopping weekend into hunting season for cybercriminals.
In 2024 alone, U.S. shoppers lost $432 million to online shopping scams, a 20% jump from the year before. NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro data shows more than 131 million scam websites blocked between October and January. That’s how big the problem has become.
Scammers aren’t always sloppy. Some fake sites look polished, complete with SSL certificates and cloned logos. One careless click and your payment info is gone.
What You Will Learn in This Article:
Why scams explode every Black Friday and how scammers exploit urgency and trust
How to spot fake stores, phishing messages, and scam ads before you click
How VPNs and security tools protect you from phishing and malware
How to stay safe with smart habits, secure payments, and a quick checklist
What to do right after a scam to protect your money and data
Why Black Friday Scams Surge Every Year and How They Work
Scammers thrive on chaos and nothing fuels chaos like Black Friday. Millions of shoppers race to snag limited deals, inboxes overflow and that constant “only 2 left!” pressure clouds good judgment. It’s the perfect psychological setup for online fraud.
The formula is simple: create urgency, mimic legitimacy and strike fast. Fraudsters set up fake websites that clone major retailers down to the product photos and checkout flow. They send phishing emails disguised as order confirmations or shipping updates. Click once and you’re handing over login details or payment info. Some even run malicious ads on social media, promising doorbuster discounts that lead straight to scam pages.
During the holiday shopping rush, people don’t stop to check domain names or verify sellers. They just see “50% off iPhone 15” and move. That’s why online shopping fraud spikes so sharply in late November.
Add to that the flood of fake Black Friday deals shared in group chats and TikTok “coupon” videos and you’ve got a digital goldmine for cybercriminals. It’s not just about losing money, it’s about losing trust in what’s real.
The good news? Recognizing these patterns is half the battle. Once you understand how the manipulation works, urgency, familiarity and fear of missing out, you can start spotting the traps before you click. That’s where modern tools and smarter browsing habits start to matter.
Common Black Friday Scam Tactics and How to Spot Them Fast
You’d think spotting online shopping scams would be easy. Broken pages, weird fonts, bad grammar, but scammers have leveled up. Some fake stores now use professional web templates, perfect English and SSL certificates to look “secure”.
Fake Shopping Sites
These are the classics, sites that look exactly like a big retailer but have URLs with tiny changes, an extra letter, a misplaced hyphen or a .shop domain instead of .com.
They lure you in with huge discounts and slick design. But when you hit “pay”, your data goes straight into a scammer’s pocket.
How to spot them:
Check the web address carefully. Misspellings or strange endings are dead giveaways.
Always look for “https” and the padlock icon. No padlock, no purchase.
Search for the store’s name + “scam” on Google before buying.
Phishing Emails and SMS Offers
Some phishing scams look so convincing you’d swear they came from Amazon or DHL. They usually say something like, “Your delivery is delayed, click to confirm your details.”
Click that link and you’re on a fake page built to steal logins or credit card data.
Spot it early:
Real companies don’t ask for credentials via text or email.
Hover over links. If the URL looks strange, delete the message.
Never download attachments from “order confirmations” you weren’t expecting.
Malicious Apps
There’s a growing wave of malicious apps that pretend to be discount trackers or store companions.
Once installed, they can harvest your data or inject ads across your browser.
Avoid them by:
Downloading apps only from Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
Checking developer names and recent reviews. Scam apps often have generic publishers and identical comments.
Avoiding any app that demands unnecessary permissions like contacts or storage access.
Fake Ads and Pop-Ups
If an ad screams “90% off everything” or flashes countdown timers, assume it’s bait.
These fake ads often lead to malware downloads or pages mimicking legitimate stores.
Play it safe:
Go directly to the retailer’s website instead of clicking the ad.
Use a browser or security tool that filters unsafe domains.
Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is.
Learning how to recognize fake shopping websites and scam alerts isn’t paranoia, it’s self-defense. Once you’ve seen how sophisticated black friday phishing scams have become, you realize safe shopping practices aren’t optional anymore.
Best Software for Online Shopping Safety: NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro
Vigilance helps, but even the sharpest shoppers slip up. That’s why you need digital armor that catches what you miss. NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro does exactly that, blocking phishing sites, malicious domains and fake ads before they reach your screen.
Independent tests prove it’s not hype:
AV-TEST found it detected 83.4% of malicious links
AV-Comparatives confirmed 90% phishing-block success
West Coast Labs gave it a AAA rating for malware defense
It’s more than a VPN, it’s a threat protection suite built for online shopping safety. It filters unsafe sites in real time, strips intrusive ads and prevents trackers from profiling you. You can run it on up to 10 devices, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, even Linux.
For travelers or anyone behind strict firewalls, NordWhisper ensures connections stay stable and private without slowing down. Pair it with NordPass to secure payment data and passwords for faster, safer checkouts.
Threat Protection Pro keeps you safe without breaking your browsing flow. It’s the easiest upgrade for secure, private shopping this Black Friday.
NordVPN Threat Protection Pro
Blocks phishing sites, fake ads and unsafe domains automatically.
Practical Tips for Secure Online Shopping
These online shopping safety tips will save you trouble later. Use this quick checklist before checkout season goes wild. Think of this as your quick online shopping safety checklist before checkout season goes wild.
1. Use secure payment methods.
Stick to Apple Pay, Google Pay or credit cards. They’re built with payment safety features like chargeback protection. Never pay with wire transfers, crypto, or gift cards. Scammers love irreversible payments.
2. Keep your devices updated.
It’s not exciting, but those updates patch the holes hackers slip through. Outdated browsers or plugins are easy entry points for data theft.
3. Avoid public Wi-Fi or use a VPN.
Public Wi-Fi is basically a free buffet for data snoops. If you must connect, run a VPN for secure browsing so your traffic stays encrypted. That way, even if someone intercepts it, they see gibberish instead of your card number.
4. Use a password manager.
Every store account needs its own login. A good password manager like NordPass keeps your logins random, long, and impossible to guess. It’s the single easiest fix for preventing account takeovers.
5. Verify deals directly.
Don’t click sale links from emails or pop-ups. Instead, go straight to the official retailer website. It’s the simplest way to protect from scam websites pretending to be legitimate stores.
If you follow even half of these cyber security tips for shoppers, you’ll dodge most of the traps waiting online this season.
What to Do If You Get Scammed While Shopping Online
Sometimes you can do everything right and still get caught. Maybe you clicked the wrong ad or entered your details on a cloned site. Don’t panic, here’s what to do if you get scammed online before things spiral.
Contact your bank immediately: Explain the situation and ask them to freeze or reverse any suspicious transactions. If you used PayPal or a credit card, open a dispute right away. Acting fast gives you the best shot at recovering funds.
Change all your passwords: Assume the scammer got more than you think. Start with your email and financial accounts, then move to shopping logins. Turn on two-factor authentication wherever possible to protect accounts from further access.
Run antivirus and malware scans: Scam sites often plant tracking scripts or infected files. A quick scan can catch malicious code before it spreads.
Report it: This is where people usually stop, don’t. Go the extra mile and report online shopping fraud to your country’s cybercrime authority or consumer protection agency. In the U.S., that’s the FTC’s fraud report portal. Also, alert the e-commerce platform or payment service you used.
Warn others: Let your friends or family know if you shared login info or got tricked by a specific fake store. Scammers reuse domains fast, a quick warning can save someone else.
Recovering from an online shopping scam isn’t fun, but each action limits the damage. Treat it like first aid for your digital identity, stop the bleeding, clean the wound and reinforce your defenses.
If you’ve been burned once, use it as motivation to strengthen your setup. Threat Protection Pro, NordPass and smarter browsing habits together build immunity against future scams.
Final Thoughts: How to Avoid Black Friday Scams for Good
The same rush that makes Black Friday exciting is exactly what makes it dangerous. That adrenaline, scrolling for bargains, racing timers, chasing coupons feeds the scammers’ playbook. They count on chaos and it works.
If there’s one thing to take from this, it’s that online security doesn’t have to kill the fun. When you build habits around online shopping protection, you stay a step ahead. Read URLs before clicking. Keep software updated. Use a password manager. And yes, run a VPN for online safety every time you shop.
So this year, skip the anxiety and enjoy the hunt. Be skeptical, not scared. Stay sharp, stay private and remember, you can avoid Black Friday scams without missing the real deals.
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FAQs About Black Friday Scam Prevention and Online Shopping Safety
What are the most common Black Friday scams?
Fake shopping sites, phishing emails and malicious ads that mimic real stores or offer impossible discounts.
How can a VPN protect me from online shopping fraud?
It encrypts your data and blocks phishing sites or scam domains before they load.
Are fake websites easy to detect?
Not always. Check for HTTPS, correct spelling in URLs and realistic prices before you buy.
What should I do if I entered my card info on a fake site?
Contact your bank right away, change passwords, and report the scam website.
Is Threat Protection Pro available on mobile?
Yes. It works on Android and iOS, blocking dangerous links, ads and trackers.
How can I avoid online shopping scams during Black Friday?
Shop directly on official retailer sites, use secure payments and enable a VPN for safe browsing.
Is NordVPN good for shopping online safely?
Yes. Its Threat Protection Pro blocks phishing, malware and fake ads while keeping your data private.
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