Black Friday Scams Can Ruin Your Holidays

Black Friday scammers take advantage of gift buyers, deal shoppers, and holiday travelers.

The holiday shopping season —and Black Friday scams along with it —are in full gear in the U.S. as soon as Halloween ends. And it won’t let up until Cyber Monday, either. This article will cover the scams we all need to watch out for, including Black Friday scams that affect travelers.

After all, Thanksgiving is perhaps the busiest travel time across the country, with everyone heading to family and friend get-togethers from coast to coast. That also makes it one of the busiest seasons for Black Friday scammers.  They tap into that urgency and demand with fake sales and offers of their own to take advantage of you.

The millions of people planning to travel will be searching for the best deals. Or they’ll simply be hoping to book a flight that gets them to their destination on time. Flights and available lodging could fill up fast, so travelers will go online and click on links, hoping not to be left behind. 

Black Friday scams are headed your way.

The important thing to keep in mind: it’s not the different scams you need to worry about during Black Friday season; it’s also the different methods that scammers use to engage you. Here’s how they do that.

• They get your attention. They’ll place ads on social media because they know millions of people have travel on their mind and are looking for reasonable prices and offers.
• You’ll see amazing discounts and deals. No one wants to pay top dollar, so an attractive, money-saving offer will get attention.
• Scammers seize the opportunity. They won’t have to work too hard to find potential victims, since the Thanksgiving season brings scam targets out in the millions.

What to watch out for when it comes to travel-related Black Friday scams.

• Fake (imitated/duplicated) airline or hotel websites. Seasoned travelers know you can search and book your trips online, without having to talk to anyone. That’s good, but it isn’t good if you don’t know you’ve landed on a scammer’s well-designed website that imitates a legitimate hotel or airline website.
• Artificial chatbots that talk you into deals. Evidently, you could find yourself talking to a customer service agent online who is actually a chatbot, an automated correspondent programmed to answer questions. If fraudsters happen to run that chatbot, and you submit your credit information, you lose your money.
• Deceptive email and text messages. Without knowing any details about your plans, a scammer will text you or email you about a problem with your reservation, a flight, or a cancellation. If you’ve booked a trip, you could be duped into responding, with serious consequences.
• AI-generated images of exotic vacations. Fraudsters now use Artificial Intelligence to create images and write reviews of travel packages and destinations. The technology is so advanced that you could easily be persuaded to click a link and purchase a getaway. The only thing going anywhere is your money…to the scammer.
• TSA Scams. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offers U.S. citizens the option to make airline travel easier through TSA PreCheck at airports. Scammers send messages to citizens offering fake TSA PreCheck enrollment or updates. Of course, those who reply to those messages are taken on a trip they didn’t sign up for.

Travel tricks are just part of Black Friday scams.

Of course, travel is just one segment of Black Friday fraud. We covered them in the infographic in this article. Here’s what else scammers are up to during November, as it relates to Black Friday:

• Fake coupons and vouchers
• Spoofed shopping sites
• Account verification scams
• Fake delivery notifications
• Fake order confirmations
• Non-delivery scams
• Billing error scams
• Fake invoice scams

Good rules to follow year-round, including November.

Don’t let the excitement of Black Friday cause you to let your guard down. It’s not entirely your fault if you find yourself getting caught up in the excitement. These days, as soon as Halloween ends, advertisers—and scammers—are announcing Black Friday deals. That’s not how it used to be.

In the past, Black Friday was officially the day after Thanksgiving. Retail stores opened early and closed late, and lured shoppers in with amazing deals on “must-have” products. Shoppers would line up outside of stores, waiting for doors to open at midnight. Eventually, many Black Friday deals went online, and retailers began promoting them weeks earlier. That’s where we are now.

As soon as Halloween ends, advertisers (and scammers) are promoting Black Friday deals. That’s not how it used to be.

Develop new habits to avoid Black Friday scams.

Nearly all cybersecurity experts encourage consumers to become more aware of scams and learn to spot their “red flags,” the clues that give away their schemes. We have two special articles that can help.

One explains the red flags of a scam. The other suggests new habits and rules to consider that help lower your risk of becoming a victim.

• The Red Flags of a Scam
• Avoid Scams by Creating New Personal Habits, Rules

The key to avoiding a scam is to do all you can to prevent becoming a victim. You can learn more about scams and how to avoid them at the WhatIsMyIPAddress.com Learning Center.