Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the perfect time to grab a bargain, and millions of people will be taking advantage of the great offers this year, including VPNs with Black Friday deals. According to a survey by NordVPN, one of the best VPNs, consumers who attempted to visit fake stores in October increased 35% compared to September, and that number is expected to rise during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping fever.

Statistics from Nord's Threat Protection Pro show that the number of blocked attempts to access fake stores increased from 9.9 million in September to 13.4 million in October, with an average of 381,000 blocked attempts per day.

According to a recent YouGov survey, 36% of Americans plan to shop for Black Friday deals and 34% are looking for Cyber Monday deals; a 2023 NordVPN survey found that Americans who have been scammed while shopping 1 in 4 have been scammed at shopping events like Black Friday. This totals 34 million people.

“Cybercriminals use AI-based tools to quickly, easily, and efficiently create fake stores and enhance their ability to scam people looking for the best deals,” Adrianus Warmenhoven says. “Sometimes criminals create fake stores in order to collect payment card details and personal information, but sometimes this can lead to direct financial loss.” : Customers pay for items they never get, and sometimes only get pictures of the items they buy.

Fake online stores are particularly dangerous because they can be very convincing, and the risk is already heightened by the early start of the Black Friday shopping season. But is there a way to spot these impersonators? Cybersecurity experts warn that with the rise of professionally created websites, even more people could be tricked into disclosing personal information or falling for scams by exchanging money for nonexistent goods. Some pages are developed as original stores, while others try to trick people by impersonating well-known brands.

A common tactic used by cybercriminals is to subtly change the domain name of a website. For example, they may replace “Amazon” with “Armazon,” but such changes are very easy to notice. The use of short URLs is common and is often used to hide the actual web address. There are many other ways to deceive unsuspecting customers, and common tricks include unrealistic and “too good to be true” discounts. Sites appear to offer unbeatable prices, but disappear as soon as payment is completed. Always browse multiple sites, and if one deal is significantly cheaper than all the others, it is worth double-checking its legitimacy.

Fake sites often fail to deliver the goods they advertise. Sometimes products arrive broken, cheap or fake, or never delivered at all. Fake reviews are a quick and easy way for scammers to lure you in. A string of positive reviews may look good, but it is important to look a little deeper. Are the reviews vague and lacking in detail? If so, they are probably not genuine. If there are no negative reviews, this is also dangerous because the scammer does not want you to see them. A common red flag is an unusually high number of reviews for a very young site. Scammers use these tactics to quickly establish credibility and lure unsuspecting victims.

Phishing is a common tactic used by scammers. Phishers send emails or texts that entice victims to enter personal information or access fraudulent stores. What may appear to be from a genuine brand or a trusted service, such as your bank, is actually a way for criminals to steal your data. If you receive such a message, always be wary and never enter any information unless you are 100% sure it is legitimate. Many of the most secure VPNs offer threat protection, identity defenders, and anti-phishing features.

There are a number of ways to avoid being a victim of shopping scams this Black Friday and beyond VPNs are a great way to protect your privacy and security online, along with the best anti-virus software and the best Many providers include ad and cyber security tools such as malware blockers, password managers, and even cyber insurance in their premium plans. For example, NordVPN offers Threat Protection Pro and ExpressVPN offers Identity Defender.

Tools like these can identify dangerous or suspicious sites and warn you of their dangers before you access them. Our guide will help you navigate the features offered by various VPNs so you can find the right VPN for you.

VPNs are a great way to protect yourself and your data online, but they are not a silver bullet. Human error is one of the biggest causes of data breaches, and you need to be aware of all the dangers. Be skeptical of sites and never access or send anything you are not 100% sure about. Avoid unusual payment methods such as cryptocurrency or wire transfers, which scammers prefer because they are difficult to trace.

Websites used by scammers are not always of high quality. Look for typos, grammatical errors, sloppy writing, and poor quality images.

You can also look for contact information for the company. A real company will almost always have a contact email address and phone number listed, as well as the location and city of their office. This information is usually found in the “About Us” or “Contact Us” section of the website. Fraudsters can duplicate such information, but the absence of such information on a company's website is a red flag.

Always remember to read a company's privacy policy and terms of use to understand what is happening to your data and where it is going. Once you consent to data collection or provide personal information, there is not much a VPN can do to protect you. Finally, you can also check the domain and SSL certificate of the website and use a URL checker tool to assess the legitimacy of the website you are visiting.

Following these steps, staying vigilant, and using tools such as VPNs and malware blockers can help keep your data and personal information safe this shopping season.