As the holiday shopping season kicks off with Black Friday, online scammers are stepping up their tactics to deceive shoppers. According to a Forbes report, fraudulent websites have surged by 89% compared to last year, and nearly 80% of shopping-related emails are being flagged as scams. Even trusted Google search results are being manipulated to direct unsuspecting users to harmful sites.
In response, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning to online shoppers, offering crucial steps to protect themselves from scams throughout Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the rest of the holiday season. This warning is especially important for users of popular web browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Edge, which together account for 95% of the US market. The FBI is urging shoppers to remain cautious and follow safety guidelines to avoid falling victim to online threats.
The FBI emphasizes that shoppers should be especially wary of deals that seem too good to be true. "Don't let yourself become a scammer's next victim," the agency advises. "Every year, thousands of people fall for holiday scams, losing money, personal information, and sometimes their festive spirit."
The FBI's statement highlights several types of cyber scams to be aware of, including:
- Non-delivery scams: Where you pay for goods or services but never receive them.
- Non-payment scams: Where goods or services are shipped, but the seller never receives payment.
- Auction fraud: Where products are misrepresented on auction sites.
- Gift card fraud: Where a seller asks for payment via pre-paid gift cards.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report from 2023 indicates that non-payment and non-delivery scams alone caused over $309 million in losses. Additionally, credit card fraud accounted for another $173 million in damages. The IC3 notes that it receives a high volume of complaints in the early months of the year, correlating with holiday season scams.