What Are Common Black Friday Scams to Watch For Online?
Learn the warning signs of fake Black Friday deals and how to check sellers before you pay.
Common Black Friday scams online are fake retail websites, misleading ads, and fake social-media promotions and messages that copy well-known retailers to steal payment and personal data. Shoppers also face non-delivery offers, where they pay for goods that never arrive, and phishing messages that request personal or financial details. A lookalike shop is a site or ad made to resemble a familiar retailer while sending payment elsewhere.
The Better Business Bureau Central Canada warns that these copies surge during Black Friday week to collect card numbers and personal data, as described in its BBB Black Friday warning.
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Fake stores and ads that copy familiar retailers
Fraudulent sites often use a name, logo, or layout close to a known retailer, plus a steep Black Friday price. The ad or search result can look convincing, while the checkout page collects card details or sends money to a different seller. Treat a very low price on a high-demand item as a reason to pause.
Open a new tab and find the retailer through its own app or typed web address, then compare the item, price, and seller name. Small mismatches in spelling, contact details, return terms, or customer service options point to a copy.
Why social-media deals need extra care
Social-media feeds carry coupons, flash sales, direct messages, and sponsored posts that lead away from the platform. Some lead to short-lived stores that take payment and then disappear without shipping the order. The FBI identifies non-delivery and non-payment as the two most prevalent holiday frauds, tied to 56,478 complaints and over $503 million in reported losses in 2025, according to its FBI holiday scams.
Those totals cover complaints filed with its Internet Crime Complaint Center, so many unreported losses sit outside that count.
Phishing emails, texts, and delivery notices
Holiday phishing uses fake retailer emails, texts, and ads with links or requests for login, payment, or personal details. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency notes that fake delivery notices, lookalike shops, and bogus charities are part of the same seasonal pattern, as explained in its CISA holiday shopping safety. Do not tap a link from an unexpected shipping or order message.
Go to the retailer or carrier through a known app or typed address and enter the order or tracking number there. A message that demands quick action, asks for gift-card or wire payment, or requests full card and account details deserves deletion.
How can you check a deal before you pay?
Start with the seller, not the discount. Search the store name with words such as reviews, complaints, address, and returns, and read several recent results. A new site with no history, no physical contact details, and prices far below other sellers is a reason to walk away.
Use a payment method that preserves dispute rights, such as a credit card. A seller that accepts only gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps, or cryptocurrency removes buyer protections.
- Compare the deal on the retailer's own site or app.
- Check the URL spelling, contact page, shipping time, and return policy.
- Avoid buying through direct messages or unfamiliar links.
- Save order confirmations, receipts, and tracking records.