Shop Safely on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024: Avoid These Scams and Tricks

A lot of folks consider the holiday season to be the most wonderful time of the year, but with scammers and tricksters out in force looking to take advantage of holiday shoppers, it can quickly become the worst if you're not careful.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday hold special places of prominence on the holiday shopping calendar. According to data gathered by Capital One, consumer spending on Cyber Monday has grown from $3.1 billion in 2015 to $12.4 billion in 2023, with 2024 showing no signs slowing down. The financial institution also found that an estimated 73.1 million shopped online for Cyber Monday last year, compared to 20.9 million who went to an actual store.

The internet has already become a haven for scammers -- with the Federal Trade Commission estimating that over $300 million has already been lost to online shopping fraud this year -- but things go to an entirely different level during the holiday season, when folks are a lot more inclined to part with their money, especially online and for deals that might seem too good to be true. Don't let your festive spirit turn sour this year and read on for CNET's tips for avoiding Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams.

For more on holiday shopping, check out CNET's best streaming deals and the best TV's on the market for 2024.

Be wary of who you're dealing with to avoid phishing scams

Phishing scams -- ones that involve attempts to get you to willingly give over a piece of important information -- are the bread-and-butter of modern online scammers, and you can bet these schemes are out in force for the holiday shopping season. 

Speaking with a local news station, Melissa Ames, president of an Ohio-based branch of the Better Business Bureau, warned shoppers to be cautious about emails and text messages claiming that a package they ordered is stalled in transit. These sorts of messages are commonly used by scammers to make you click through a link and give them personal information. While keeping track of holiday packages, it's best to disregard any messages like this and rely exclusively on the website of whichever shipping company you are using.

NerdWallet has also warned shoppers to be on alert for phishing schemes using QR codes, a rising trend known as "quishing." These codes, when scanned, direct you to fraudulent websites or in some cases directly install malware on your device. To avoid this fate, it's best to avoid scanning any QR codes you received unexpectedly, such as from strange emails, and to be extra vigilant about the authenticity of codes you come across in public.

Be careful where you use your credit card

Credit cards are a necessity while shopping online for deals, but they can also potentially land you in trouble. Expert sources, like the North Carolina Department of Justice, urge shoppers to do their shopping with cards and to always keep receipts, to make your purchases easier to track and to ensure you can get a refund if you were misled about a certain product.

On the flip side, you also must be careful about how and where you use your credit card. When making a purchase online, make sure you stick to your own private home Wi-Fi network. Making purchases over public Wi-Fi networks greatly increases the risk of your personal information being exposed to hackers.

Here's more on what to watch for with credit card scams. Your credit card company might also provide various services to help you deal with possible fraud with your card. If you suspect this holiday season that your card has been commandeered for illicit purposes, definitely give your company's customer service line a call to see what your options are.

Be certain about that charity asking for a donation

Charities are a common fixture of the holiday season, with organizations hoping to tap into the spirit of giving to help their causes. Unfortunately, this has prompted bad actors to use the facade of charity to try to trick generous people into giving them money for a fake cause.

To avoid this, it's best to make sure you're donating only to charities you know about already or you can find official information about somewhere. This is especially true for charities that might try and reach you via emails or online ads. 

Before you make a donation, check out the organization or charity. You can use a charity-evaluation service such as Charity Navigator, which evaluates charities based on their financial health, accountability and transparency. Charity Navigator assigns a "Give With Confidence" designation to the organizations it deems safe to donate to. 

Be careful which websites you visit

Experts strongly recommend that you be careful about the websites you visit and do business through during the holiday shopping season, as scammers are known to create fake store websites or review sites to dupe customers. Speaking with Staten Island Live, Miguel Fornés, a cybersecurity expert for SurfShark, called this tactic the most common one used by scammers and warned of the methods that allow them to create convincing fakes.

"Scammers simply create fake websites or mobile apps that look like legitimate retailers," he explained. "Logos, fonts and website design might look very similar to well-known brands. Fraudsters might also use social media or other channels to advertise such fake stores to lure victims."

In order to help avoid these fake sites, customers are advised to try and do business only on websites that they are familiar with already and trust during the holiday season. If you are not sure about a website you find, you can also check trusted outlets like TrustPilot and BazaarVoice to try to determine if they are legitimate. Also be wary of deals on products that seem too good to be true, as this can often be a hook to try to get you to shop at a fake website.

What to do if you find a scam?

If you believe that you have stumbled upon a scam this holiday season, it's important that you do your part to bring attention to it. This can involve sharing the details of the potential scam with friends and family, but also sharing what you know with the Better Business Bureau's Scam Trackerwebsite. 

For more holiday shopping help, find out what tips CNET recommends to get ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.