9 Black Friday scams in 2025 and how to avoid them

1: Phishing emails 

During black friday shopping, inboxes overflow, which is why phishing emails blend in so well. The classic play is an “account problem,” “payment failed,” or “thanks for your purchase” message that nudges you into clicking links to “verify” details. The page you land on usually mimics a real store, built to harvest accounts, passwords, and payment information — including credit card information. This summer, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned about texts offering Amazon refunds — people who tapped through landed on fake support pages that hoovered up personal and financial data, right in the middle of black friday deals’ season build-up. 

How to avoid phishing emails

To avoid phishing emails, treat any surprise receipt, refund, or “account problem” notice as untrusted until you verify it on your terms. Instead of clicking the email, open the retailer’s app or type the store’s URL and check your real orders there. Spotting phishing emails gets easier once you develop a habit and an eye for it. Finally, to minimize the risk of falling victim to a phishing scam, be sure to keep multi-factor authentication on your shopping accounts so a leaked password can’t unlock everything, and never share one-time codes with anyone who contacts you first.

2: Fake delivery texts (“smishing”)

Scammers know you’re expecting parcels, so they send texts claiming a USPS, UPS, or FedEx issue, then funnel you to a look-alike site that skims card numbers and addresses. In April, the FTC told shoppers to treat USPS texts with skepticism and to track packages only through a retailer account or a carrier’s official site. The Postal Inspection Service issued a parallel warning about package-tracking text scams as holiday prep began.

How to avoid fake delivery texts (“smishing”)

Assume delivery texts are untrustworthy until proven otherwise. If you’re waiting for a package, ignore the message and check the order in your retailer’s app or the carrier’s official site. Legitimate carriers don’t collect “redelivery fees” by text or ask for full card numbers to fix an address. Deleting the message after you verify helps you avoid tapping it later when you’re distracted.

3: Fake websites and pop-up “brands”

In the weeks before Black Friday, criminal networks register fresh domains and buy social media ads that point to slick storefronts for popular labels. Prices are unbelievable because the sites are, too. On Black Friday 2024, CBS reported waves of fake sites and ads impersonating IKEA, Wayfair, and The North Face. Separate research into a network dubbed “BogusBazaar” detailed millions of dollars flowing through tens of thousands of fraudulent shops that often start with a paid social placement.

How to avoid fake websites and pop-up “brands”

Let ads spark ideas, but finish the purchase on a path you control. Search for the retailer yourself, confirm the domain, and skim the returns page and contact details. Copycat stores hide behind forms and throwaway email addresses. If an unknown site undercuts every trusted seller by a mile, compare the final price elsewhere before you commit, and pay by credit card so you have dispute rights if nothing shows up.

4: Gift card scams and card-draining

Two reliable scams resurface every season. One is a request to pay with gift cards. The other is card-draining, where tampered cards are emptied moments after activation. The FTC’s guidance is blunt: Only scammers tell you to pay with gift cards. National loss figures underscore why fraudsters keep trying — gift card-related fraud accounted for hundreds of millions in reported losses in 2023, with “card draining” singled out as a growing tactic.

How to avoid gift card scams and card-draining

End any conversation the moment someone tells you to pay with gift cards. Legitimate companies don’t do that. If you are looking for discounted gift cards, buy them only from official sites or staffed counters. 

5: Unrealistic discount scams

Not every dramatic discount strike-through is a deal of the year. Some sites inflate the so-called “was” prices — for example, claiming an item “was $100” when it never sold for that amount — bury fees until the last step, or frame a regular price as a once-in-a-year doorbuster deal. You feel the pressure, you “act quickly,” and you overpay. Recent legal analysis highlights a steady flow of “phantom discount” suits and settlements in California, while regulators at the FTC are simultaneously clamping down on deceptive pricing practices and hidden fees in adjacent categories. The agency’s Unfair or Deceptive Fees Rule took effect on May 12, 2025.

How to avoid unrealistic discount scams

Judge the deal by the checkout total, not the strike-through discount drama. Compare the same product at two or three retailers you already trust, watch for fees that materialize at the last step, and walk away if the site won’t show a full price before asking for payment details.

6: Fake charity scams

Scammers are infamous for taking advantage of our goodwill. They borrow names that resemble real nonprofits, steer you to cash-like payments, and vanish. Right before the last holiday season, the FTC urged donors to verify organizations and to give only through official websites or well-known platforms that issue receipts and support disputes.

How to avoid fake charity scams

To avoid fake charity scams, verify first, donate second. Look up the charity on an independent directory, then give via the charity’s own website. Favor credit cards over crypto, wires, or gift cards, and be wary of appeals that can’t clearly explain their mission, governance, and use of funds.

7: Fake coupons and “free voucher” scams

The graphic looks like a normal promo, but the gate is the trap. To “unlock” the voucher, the scam pushes you to fill out data-heavy surveys, install a browser extension, or enter a card to claim a “free” item. The Better Business Bureau flagged fake retail coupons spreading on social channels heading into last year’s holidays and continues to log 2025 cases as brands launch seasonal campaigns.

How to avoid fake coupons and “free voucher” scams

Treat social coupons as rumors until the retailer confirms them. Check the store’s promotions page or app. If it isn’t there, it won’t work at checkout. Any voucher that demands extensions, sensitive details, or payment to claim a freebie is a data grab in disguise.

8: Account verification scams

In account verification scams, an impostor posing as a retailer or payments team claims there’s a problem, then asks you to read back a one-time code to “secure” the account or a present purchase. In reality, they’re in the middle of a login and need your code to complete the takeover. For the big picture understanding of how criminals steal access and move money through compromised accounts, our post on internet fraud connects the dots in plain English.

How to avoid account verification scams

If a message or call feels urgent, end it and sign in through the retailer’s site or app to check for issues yourself. Switch to app-based multi-factor authentication where possible, replace reused passwords with unique ones, and review recent sessions to kick out unrecognized devices.

9: AI-powered scams

Generative AI tools gave old tricks new clothes. A cloned voice that sounds exactly like a loved one can trigger a rushed payment. A glossy video of a “brand exec” can make a fake store feel real. The Identity Theft Resource Center reports a 148% year-over-year jump in impersonation scams, with criminals most often pretending to be businesses or banks — a spike the industry links to mass-market voice-cloning and deepfake tools. If you’re curious how these tools drive seasonal fraud, our short guide to AI scams shows the tells you can spot even when the fake looks perfect.

How to avoid AI-powered scams

To avoid AI-powered scams, build a quick verification ritual before money moves. When a caller claims urgency, hang up and call back on a number you trust. With emails or ads, cross-check any claim on the official site rather than replying in the original channel. Families can agree on a simple safe word, and workplaces should require second-channel approval for surprise payment instructions.

How to report Black Friday scams 

Reporting Black Friday scams shouldn’t be viewed as busywork. It protects others and boosts your odds of getting money back if you’ve fallen prey to a scam. Here’s the quickest path to reporting Black Friday Scams, step by step:

• Start with the payment. If you used a credit card, call the issuer, explain the timeline, and ask about a dispute or chargeback. If you paid via bank transfer or a P2P app, contact your bank immediately and request a recall — speed matters.
• Secure your accounts. Change passwords you reused, enable multi-factor authentication, and sign out of suspicious sessions on shopping and email accounts.
• File with the FTC. Submit a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov so investigators can connect your case with similar complaints.
• File with the FBI (IC3). For online-shopping fraud, fake websites, or significant losses, report at ic3.gov. Those details help build cases against larger networks.
• Notify the carrier, if relevant. If the scam involves a delivery pretext or counterfeit tracking, report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (or the relevant carrier) and follow their instructions.
• Preserve evidence. Save emails, message headers, order numbers, screenshots, and the scam site’s URL. These often determine whether funds can be recovered.
• Protect your identity. If your personal data has been exposed, place a fraud alert with a credit bureau and consider a credit freeze if you see unfamiliar activity. For proactive monitoring and alerts, consider a purpose-built service such as NordProtect — with it you can enable 24/7 dark-web and credit activity monitoring, get security alerts, and access identity theft recovery (up to $1M for eligible restoration costs) plus cyber-extortion support (up to $50K), and Online Fraud Coverage  for victims of online fraud; currently available to U.S.
• Know what to expect from refunds. If you’re unsure how card disputes typically play out, our Q&A on do banks refund scammed money? sets realistic timelines and outcomes so you know what to ask for.

Bottom line

This season’s Black Friday scams aren’t new. They're just updated versions of scams we’ve all known for years. Emails that masquerade as order updates, texts about “delivery issues,” slick ads that funnel you to counterfeit shops, sham charities, and fake customer-support calls, all designed to pry loose your money or personal data. The antidote is routine: Start at the retailer’s site or app you typed yourself, skip links in messages and ads, pay with a credit card or trusted wallet for dispute rights, and refuse to share personal details or verification codes with anyone who contacted you first. Move at your pace, verify independently, and you’ll keep the bargains, and your identity, intact.