Black Friday arrives the day after Thanksgiving — which is Nov. 25 this year. It’ll be a day filled with deals on items like headphones and TVs, but with all that potential money flowing from customers to stores, cybercriminals are unfortunately looking to steal some of it.

Scammers work year round, but they turn up their efforts during the high-spending holiday season to exploit the spirit of giving.

The scams range far and wide — as retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart roll out deals over the holidays, fraudsters create elaborate websites to trick you into spending money on products you’ll never receive. You may receive text messages or emails claiming you’re eligible for a refund for an item you never purchased, just so thieves can get your credit card information. You might even be enticed into donating to a charity that provides homes for abandoned puppies — only to find out it doesn’t actually exist.

Scams come in all shapes and sizes, but there are always red flags to help spot them. Here’s what you need to know about Black Friday scams and how to avoid becoming a victim this holiday season.

For more about security and privacy this holiday season, check out how to protect yourself from identity theft, how to protect your phone app privacy, and the most common cryptocurrency scams.

Fake websites and fraudulent apps go ‘phishing’

In a phishing scheme, the goal is for hackers to get their hands on your personal information, like your credit card number, social security or account password. Pretending to be a large retail corporation, the fraudsters send out an official-looking email or text message, usually with a link to a fraudulent website designed to look just like a legitimate site.

Researchers at security firm Avanan discovered that hackers were sending out spoofed Amazon order notification emails. The email resembled your run-of-the-mill order confirmation, except that the order is false and the charge is significant.

Naturally, if you believe you’re being charged for a substantial amount, you would want to reach out to Amazon. But in this instance, if you use the link in the phishing email to get in contact, you’ll be redirected to a fake Amazon webpage with a false phone number to dial. If you call, the fraudsters won’t initially pick up, but they’ll soon call back, asking you to provide your card number, expiration date and CVV to «cancel the order.» And just like that, they’ve got your information.

These types of attacks are commonplace throughout the year, but expect a surge in messages claiming to be from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target or other large retailers during the holidays.

If you receive an email asking you to update your payment method or requesting other personal information, contact the company’s help desk to make sure the email is legit before you do anything else.

Other ways to identify a phishing email, according to the Federal Trade Commission and StaySafeOnline.org, include:

• The sender’s email address looks almost right but contains extra characters or misspellings.
• There are misspellings or bad grammar either in the subject line or anywhere in the body.
• They address you with generic terms («Mr.» or «Ms.» or «Dear Customer») instead of by name.
• The message warns that you need to take immediate action and asks you to click a link and enter personal details, especially payment information.
• The messages promise a refund, coupons or other freebies.
• The company logo in the email looks low-quality or just plain wrong.

Credit card skimming goes all-digital

You’ve seen it in movies. A hacker places an object over a card reader, disguised to look like part of the ATM, and then waits for people to swipe their cards. A day or week later, the thief takes the object — known as a skimmer — back and collects the mountain of stolen card information stored inside, which they can then use to make purchases, withdraw money and more.

Instead of using physical hardware to steal payment card numbers, hackers can insert malicious code directly on a website to do the same thing as traditional skimming, but with online payment information instead.

Regarding e-skimming incidents — sometimes called Magecart attacks after the name of the software used — Tim Mackey, principal security strategist for Synopsis, a digital security company, warns, «There isn’t an obvious way for the average person to be able to identify if or when a website has been compromised. The only potential tell-tale sign might be that the website itself doesn’t quite look ‘right.'»

Mackey suggests a few strategies you can can use to protect yourself:

• Don’t save your credit card information on retail sites.
• If possible use a third-party payment method like Apple Pay, Google Wallet or PayPal.
• Enable purchase alerts on all your credit cards.
• Disable international purchases on all credit cards.
• Only make purchases over your home network or cellular network, never on a public Wi-Fi where your payment could be intercepted.

Avoid the ‘Secret Sister’ gift exchange — it’s a pyramid scheme

Originating on Facebook, this sketchy gift exchange among internet strangers plays off the popular workplace practice of «Secret Santa,» a game where each person in a group buys a present for one other randomly selected group member, without the gift-giver revealing their identity.

Instead, in Secret Sister, it’s a pyramid scheme dressed up in holiday clothes, according to the Better Business Bureau. The «Secret Sister» exchange invitation promises you’ll receive about $360 worth of gifts after purchasing and mailing a $10 gift for someone else. A variation includes swapping bottles of wine. And there’s even «Secret Santa Dog,» in which you gift money to a «secret dog.»

Unfortunately, bad math hasn’t stopped this scam from resurfacing year after year. If you fall for it, you’ll probably be out 10 bucks when you don’t receive any gifts in return. You might lose personal details too, because the scam involves sending your name, email address and phone number to people you’ve never met in person.

The Better Business Bureau recommends you deal with any request to become a Secret Sister by ignoring it — do not give your personal details to online strangers. You can also report the invitation to Facebook or whichever social network you were approached on.

Your donations might be going to a ‘faux charity’

During the holiday season, it’s not uncommon to give back to the community. In fact, nonprofit organizations typically see an increase during the fall. The last three months of the year make up 36% of all charitable giving during the year, according to Blackbaud Institute, which creates fundraising applications.

Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of this generosity to make a bundle for themselves.

The way these charity fraud scams typically work are by impersonating other successful charities. And it’s no wonder they work: The scammers come up with real-sounding charity names, create credible websites, run successful social media campaigns — and they’re persistent.

Scammers typically call you using local phone numbers, which give you a false sense of security. However, it’s incredibly easy to spoof an area code. Next they’ll make their pitch, and it’ll be a good one. It will tug at your heart-strings, but they’ll never actually specify how they’ll help. And they may even claim that you’ve made a donation before, and suggest that you make another, and that if you do, it’ll be tax-deductible. And it’ll all be a lie.

If you get a call from a charity and sense some red flags, the AARP and FTC suggest that you do the following:

• Do your research. Use a watchdog like CharityWatch to get more information about a charity and learn how credible it is. Or use Google.
• Pay close attention to the charity name and website. False charities like to mimic other popular charities. If it seems too close in name to another, it might not be real.
• Keep track of your donations. Even if you accidentally donate to a scammer, you need to ensure that the donation isn’t recurring.
• Don’t give away all your personal information. Of course it’s normal to provide your card information, but don’t do the same with your Social Security number or bank account number.
• Don’t make a cash donation. Unless you’re certain about a charity’s credibility, don’t give away cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.

For any charitable donations that you make, you can also use the IRS tax-exempt organization search tool to make sure that the charity you’re contributing to is legitimate and that your gift can be deducted on your income tax return.

Find The Perfect Gift

AllUnder $10Under $20Under $50Under $100Under $250

allmomsdadsgrandparentsfitnesstravelersteenspreteenstechgamingfoodieshomeromanticjewelrykids

107 results

Five S Kneading Massager

$35 at Amazon

Hydro Flask

$35 at Hyrdo Flask

Nintendo eShop Gift Card

$50 at Amazon

Fox in the Forest

$12 at Amazon

SteelSeries Arctis 1

$50 at Amazon

Bokksu Japanese snack box

See at Amazon

State cashmere blanket throw blanket

See at Amazon

HyperChiller

See at Amazon

Nixplay smart digital photo frame

$20 at CB2

Online cooking classes

See at Online Cooking School

Washable Silk Tee & Shorts

See at Quince

Ouai Chill Pill Bath Bombs

See at Ulta

60 Hour Candle

See at TheraBox

Dyson Supersonic hair dryer

See at Dyson

Mint & Lily Mama necklace

See at Mint & Lily

Sephora gift card

See at Sephora

Google Nest Hub

See at Google

Theragun Prime

See at Therabody

Matador NanoDry Towel

See at REI

Mixbook

See at Mixbook

Tiki fire pit

See at Amazon

Mario Badescu face spray set

See at Ulta

Flower delivery from BloomsyBox

See at BloomsyBox

Slip silk pillowcase

See at Amazon

Aarke water carbonator

$230 at Bed Bath & Beyond

Jacques Torres bonbons

$55 at Jacque Torres

A bouquet of exotic meats

$90 at Man Crates

Sarah Chloe diamond locket

$145 at Sarah Chloe

The Bouqs Co. Pixie bouquet

$99 at The Bouqs Co.

Sweet heart bamboo

$35 at Plants.com

Max Brenner chocolates

$37 at Max Brenner

Ingarden microgreens garden

$100 at Amazon

Shun Sora Japanese petty knife

$70 at Amazon

Wolf Circus Toni gold bracelet

$95 at Wolf Circus

Champagne Gummy Bears

$9 at Sugarfina

MakiMaki sushi roll kit for 2

$125 at MakiMaki

Cote des Roses rosé

$16 at Wine.com

Flavored Truffle Gift Box

$38 at La Maison du Chocolat

Barrel Aged Hot Hive Honey and Reaper Salt Series

$40 at Fuego Box

Carrie Hoffman X studs earrings

$290 at Carrie Hoffman

Wanna Date? sweet date spread

$12 at Uncommon Goods

Italian olivewood serving board

$17 at Sur la table

Three-piece cheese knife set

$20 at CB2

A delivery of fresh pasta

$25 at Goldbelly

Maison Miru heart nap earrings

$75 at Maison

Disney Plus Gift Subscription

$80 at Disney

DJI Minin 2 Fly More Combo

$600 at Amazon

Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Instant Camera

$69 at Amazon

ThisWorx Portable Car Vacuum Cleaner

$36 at Amazon

Perfect Pot

$165 at Our Place

Letterfolk Customizable Tile Mat

$75 at West Elm

Parks Project Candle

$36 at Parks Project

iPad Mini 2021

$500 at Best Buy

Crown & Paw Pet Canvas

$50 at Crown & Paw

Coravin Wine Preservation System

$150 at Target

Botley 2.0

$47 at Amazon

Arcade1Up Arcade Machine

$600 at Best Buy

Biolite TraveLight 135

$40 at Biolite

Blockaroo Blocks

$40 at Amazon

Gloomhaven: Jaws of The Lion Board Game

$32 at Amazon

JBL Go 3

$50 at Amazon

Illy Y3.3 Espresso and Coffee Machine

$149 at Amazon

Lenovo Smart Clock

$35 at Best Buy

Keurig K-Slim Coffee Maker

$79 at Amazon

Lego Speed Champions Corvette

$30 at Amazon

Madewell Transport Tote

$178 at Madewell

Lunya Silk Sleep Mask

$48 at Lunya

Lite-Brite

$13 at Target

Lodge Cast-Iron Grill Pan

$20 at Amazon

Wyze Cam v3

$36 at Amazon

Apple AirPods 3

$179 at Apple

EarFun Air Pro 2

$80 at Amazon

Sony WF-1000XM4

$250 at Walmart

Sony PlayStation 5

$499 at Amazon

Roku Express 4K Plus

$39 at Amazon

Apple iPad 2021 (9th generation)

$299 at Amazon

Acer Chromebook Spin 713

$530 at Amazon

MacBook Air M1

$1,000 at Best Buy

Bose SoundLink Flex

$150 at Best Buy

Dell G15

$1,100 at Best Buy

HP Pavilion Aero 13

$1,000 at HP

Lenovo Yoga 7i (2-in-1)

$850 at Best Buy

Mosaic Plant-Based Meal Delivery

$70 at Mosaic

Trade Coffee Subscription

$40 at Trade

Vizio MQ7 65-inch

$1,000 at Amazon

Apple Watch SE

$269 at Amazon

Apple Watch Series 7

$399 at Best Buy

Atlas Tea Club

$199 at Atlas Tea Club

iPhone 11

$499 at Apple

iPhone 13

$799 at Apple

Fitbit Charge 5

$179 at Amazon

Google Pixel 6

$599 at Amazon

iPhone 13 Pro

$999 at Apple

LG C1 OLED 65-inch

$1,797 at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

$1,166 at Amazon

TCL Series 4 TV 65-inch

$529 at Amazon

TCL Series 6 TV 65-inch

$999 at Amazon

Theragun Mini

$199 at Amazon

Best of Dylan’s Candy Bar Gift Basket

$100 at Dylan’s Candy Bar

The Mirror

$1,495 at Mirror

Echo Dot with Clock

$60 at Amazon

Croissant Light

$19 at Amazon

Spanish-style Wine Glasses

$20 at Amazon

Nintendo Switch OLED

$349 at Amazon

Xbox Series X

$499 at Amazon