Experts are warning shoppers to be vigilant against a surge in sophisticated scams ahead of Black Friday, with cyber criminals using artificial intelligence to create convincing fake websites and emails. The annual shopping event, which falls on 28 November this year, has been dubbed 'Black Fraud Day' by security professionals as fraudsters seek to exploit bargain hunters.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has urged consumers to stop and think if a purchase appears suspicious. Meanwhile, cybersecurity firm Darktrace has reported a sharp rise in malicious emails mentioning Black Friday during October, with most arriving on the last day of the month.
Jonathon Ellison, the NCSC's director for national resilience, noted that this is a time when criminals use trusted brands and popular products to deceive people into clicking malicious links or sharing personal information. The increased availability of artificial intelligence tools means fraudsters can now create authentic-looking websites that mimic famous brands or build fake small businesses complete with faces, stories and photo-perfect shops in minutes, according to Adrian Ludwig of Tools for Humanity.
Consumer group Which? advises shoppers to be wary of unrealistically low prices inconsistent with other retailers. Red flags include poorly developed websites lacking a privacy policy, postal address or 'about us' page. Requests for payment via bank transfer or cryptocurrency are particularly suspicious, as these are preferred by organised crime gangs. Fraudsters also use impersonated URLs, such as replacing a letter with a number (e.g., 'J0hn Lewis' instead of 'John Lewis'), to trick rushed consumers, said Darktrace's Nathaniel Jones.
The NCSC advises anyone who receives a suspicious email to forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service, and suspicious text messages should be sent to 7726. Victims of fraud in the UK should contact Action Fraud. Experts recommend using a credit card for payments, as many purchases are protected under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Above all, shoppers are urged to stay alert and not to rush into any deal that seems too good to be true.
