How To Avoid Black Friday and Cyber Monday Scams This Year

Scammers are likely already rigging fake stores and phishing emails for the 2026 holiday rush. This year, they have a new way in: AI agents that browse and buy on a shopper’s behalf.

In September, six major banks, including Bank of America and Capital One, raised red flags about fraudsters who could impersonate these agents to steal from shoppers.

The 11 latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams to avoid

While there are plenty of good deals to be found online from legitimate retailers, it’s not always easy to tell a real bargain from a rip-off.

Shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Black Friday 2025 and $14.25 billion on Cyber Monday. Scammers follow the money so here’s what to watch for this season, and how to protect yourself.

1. AI online shopping scams

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made fake shopping sites faster to build and harder to spot. Plenty of tech companies have sounded the alarm about scammers who can now set up a convincing fake store in minutes, using generative AI to write product descriptions and customer reviews.

AI chatbots can also send shoppers to the wrong place. Last year, 34% of the login links a chatbot suggested for major brands led to sites those brands didn’t own. Scammers now design fake pages to show up in chatbot answers.

AI shopping agents, which pick products and pay for them on your behalf, make things even riskier. These AI agents might type your card number into a fake site or steer you to a payment method with weaker fraud protection. If you let an AI tool shop for you, check where the money is going before you approve the purchase.

2. Fake online stores

Scammers also build fake stores or copy the sites of well-known retailers to steal your money or your personal and financial information.

If you place an order, you might receive a counterfeit or nothing at all. Scammers can also use your stolen details to commit identity theft.

Want to spot a fake store?

• ‍Look-alike web addresses. Check the address of any site that asks for payment or personal information. Scammers use small misspellings, like “Walmrat.com” for “Walmart.com,” or attach brand names to unrelated domains, like “deals-at-bestbuy.info.”‍
• Sloppy design and odd wording. Blurry images and clumsy sentences still give many fake sites away. If product photos look AI-generated, a tool like Sightengine can check them.‍
• Missing contact details. A real store lists an address and phone number that match its social media pages and its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile.‍
• No HTTPS. A legitimate store’s web address starts with “https,” which means your data is encrypted in transit. Many scam sites have it too, so treat it as a minimum requirement.

3. Account verification phishing emails

Inboxes are up to the brim with sale emails this time of year, which makes it easy for scammers to blend in.

A common trick is an email that poses as a well-known brand and claims there’s a problem with your account. The link leads to a fake sign-in page that can capture your password or card number.

An email that looks like it came from Amazon or Netflix might say your account will be canceled unless you update your payment details. Anything you enter on the linked page goes straight to the scammers.

Before you click on a link, check:

• If it's a free email address. Companies send official messages from their own domains, like “@apple.com,” and don’t use free providers like Gmail or Yahoo.‍
• For look-alike addresses. Some senders look legitimate until you read the full domain, as in “accounts@returns.best-buy-deals.com.”‍
• If they're pushing you to act fast. Threats and deadlines are meant to rush you. If a message makes you anxious, slow down.‍
• For links that go somewhere else. Hover over a link on a computer, or press and hold it on a phone, to see where it takes you. If it points anywhere other than the company’s official site, don’t click.

4. Fraudulent order confirmation messages

Fake order confirmations arrive by email or text, often claiming someone bought an expensive item, like a MacBook, on your Amazon account. The message tells you to call a number if you didn’t make the purchase.

Whoever answers will push you for passwords or payment details. If you’re unsure, don’t reply. Contact the company through its official website or app.

Banks do send real purchase alerts by text, usually from short codes listed on their websites. Wells Fargo, for example, sends most texts from 93557, 93733, 93729, 93767, 20342, 22981, or 93000.

5. Delivery notification scams

Scammers also pose as carriers like UPS and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and send texts about problems with your delivery.

The texts might claim you missed a delivery or owe a fee to release a package.

Some include your real name and address, taken from data breaches, to look legitimate.

In 2025, text messages were the most common way scammers first reached people who reported fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Don’t tap links in unexpected texts. Check the tracking details in your order confirmation email, or sign in to the store’s or carrier’s site directly.

6. Fake Black Friday sale ads on social media

Flashy social media ads for deep discounts are another scam. The links lead to fake stores or sites selling knockoffs. In another version, fraudsters pose as disgruntled employees of luxury brands and post secret discount codes. The codes once again take you to fake stores that tack on huge shipping fees.

If an ad catches your eye, skip the link. Go to the retailer’s site yourself and see whether the deal is real.

7. Bad Black Friday deals

Sometimes the deal itself is the trick. Retailers raise prices in the weeks before the holidays so their discounts look bigger.

36% of Black Friday sale items in 2025 offered no savings over their prices a few weeks earlier. Stores also advertise doorbuster deals in small quantities to draw shoppers in, then push other products once they arrive.

Shopping Insights, a price-history tool built into Google Chrome, shows whether a sale price is a real discount. Other price trackers work the same way.

8. Gift card scams

Gift cards are easy to buy and nearly impossible to trace or refund. Around Black Friday, fake stores may ask for payment in Amazon or Apple gift cards. Scam messages and phone calls may demand them too.

Anyone who asks you to pay with a gift card is running a scam. Share gift card numbers and PINs only with the person you’re giving the card to.

9. Bogus giveaways

With consumer sentiment near its lowest level on record, free offers make easy bait. Scammers promote fake sweepstakes and giveaways on social media and on sites they control.

To enter, you’re asked for personal information or a fee to claim your prize. Some scammers use AI to make deepfake videos of celebrities promoting giveaways. In one widely reported 2024 scam, a fake Taylor Swift offered free Le Creuset cookware to fans who paid a small shipping fee.

10. Counterfeit products and fake coupons

Some fake stores advertise brand-name goods at steep discounts, then ship cheap knockoffs. Luxury clothing and jewelry are common targets.

Other sites claim to offer exclusive coupon codes. Many are stuffed with ads and have no working codes, and some of those ads carry malware. Test any code at checkout on the retailer’s own site.

11. Unconventional payment options

Real stores accept credit cards and trusted services like PayPal. A seller that takes only hard-to-trace payments may be running a scam. People reported losing more money through bank transfers than any other payment method last year, followed by cryptocurrency.

Be wary of any seller that asks for:

• Wire transfers. The money moves almost instantly and is nearly impossible to get back.
• Cryptocurrency. Payments in Bitcoin and other coins can’t be reversed, and the people behind a crypto wallet are hard to identify.
• Payment apps like Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App. Some apps protect purchases only when the payment is marked as a business transaction. Scammers ask you to mark it as personal so you can’t get your money back.
• Gift cards. Using an Apple gift card at Apple’s own store is fine. A seller that wants gift cards anywhere else is almost certainly a scammer.

Don't get scammed. Here's what to do

• Stick to well-known retailers. Before buying from a store you don’t know, read its reviews and look it up with the BBB.‍
• Double-check web addresses. Read the address carefully before you enter payment details.‍
• Pay by credit card. Credit cards carry stronger fraud protection than debit cards. Skip saving your card number on store sites, so a breach at the retailer can’t expose it.
• Skip links in unexpected messages. Go to the company’s official website or app to check whether a message is real.
• Track prices and read return policies. A price tracker shows whether a deal is real and know how returns work before you buy.
• Set limits on AI shopping tools. If an AI assistant can make purchases for you, require your approval before each one or cap how much it can spend.
• Keep your accounts safe. Use strong passwords and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA), especially for email and any account that stores your payment details.
• Install software updates as soon as they arrive. Antivirus software can catch malicious links and downloads that updates miss.
• Check your bank statements and credit report for charges or accounts you don’t recognize. Aura provides the fastest fraud alerts in the industry when compared to other credit monitoring services.

Did you lose money to an online shopping scam?

Act fast. The sooner you move, the better your chances of limiting the damage and getting your money back.

• Stop all contact. Arguing with the scammer only risks giving away more information.
• Cancel pending payments. Call your bank or payment service right away and ask it to stop or reverse the payment.
• Freeze your credit. A freeze blocks anyone from opening accounts or taking out loans in your name. Request one from each of the three major credit bureaus. Aura’s one-click credit lock can also lock and unlock your Experian file instantly.
• Ask about a chargeback. Have your bank or card issuer cancel any recurring charges. Credit card purchases have the best odds of a refund.
• Report it to the marketplace. If the scam happened on a site like Amazon or eBay, file a complaint so the company can investigate.
• Report the ad. If a social media ad led you to the scam, report it to the platform, even if the account has disappeared.
• File a police report. Your bank or card issuer may ask for a copy, and your report can help police link your case to others.
• Consider identity theft protection. Aura’s top-rated identity theft protection watches your personal information and accounts for signs of fraud. Try Aura free for 14 days while you’re most at risk.