Three out of four Black Friday-themed spam emails are scams, according to researchers at Bitdefender. Most of these scams are targeting users in the US and Europe.
“This year, 77% of all Black Friday-themed spam (by volume) analyzed by Bitdefender’s Antispam Lab team was classified as scams, while only 22% was identified as marketing lures—emails designed to drive traffic to legitimate but overly aggressive promotions,” the researchers write.
“In 2023, 7 out of every 10 Black Friday-themed spam emails were scams, compared to 2024, when this figure rose to 3 out of every 4 emails. This 7% increase in scam prevalence underscores the greed and daring of cybercriminals, who increasingly leverage fake offers and phishing tactics to exploit consumer shopping behaviors and trends.”
Threat actors are tailoring their scams to specific regions, using familiar social engineering techniques to trick people into acting quickly.
“As in our previous Black Friday scam trends analysis, scammers leaned heavily on impersonating trusted brands and leveraging psychological tactics such as urgency and exclusivity,” Bitdefender says.
“Fraudulent emails promised exclusive or early access to Black Friday deals and rewards in exchange for survey participation or irresistible discounts on mystery boxes for submitting payment details. Counterfeit Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton bags, and Ray-Ban sunglasses are among the recurring themes and usual suspects in this year’s Black Friday scam agenda, with scammers luring shoppers with realistic websites and too-good-to-be-true prices.”
Predictably, these scams have steadily increased in the days ahead of Black Friday. Similar shopping scams should be expected to continue throughout the holiday season, however.
“Spam activity surged in the lead-up to Black Friday, with a noticeable uptick starting in late October,” the researchers write. “According to data gathered between Oct. 1 and Nov. 17, 2024, Black Friday spam rates peaked at over 6% of total Black Friday Spam email volume, showing a significant increase compared to early October. The spikes in activity align with the shopping season's momentum as scammers leverage the heightened consumer interest in deals.”
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