Black Friday and Cyber Monday pack a whole year of holiday shopping into one wild weekend. That rush is exactly what scammers are counting on.
Real retailers run real sales that week, so the tricks work partly because they blend right in. A fake ad, a copycat website, or a bogus delivery text does not stand out the way it might in a quiet week in March.
This guide focuses on the scams tied specifically to this one sales weekend: fake retailer ads, lookalike shopping sites, countdown timer pressure tactics, and the wave of fake delivery texts that follows once real orders start shipping. If you also want the broader list of scams that run all season long, our general holiday shopping scams guide covers those.
What Are the Biggest Black Friday and Cyber Monday Scams to Watch For?
The scams that spike specifically during Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fake retailer ads on social media, lookalike shopping websites, countdown timer pressure tactics, and fake delivery texts once real packages start moving. Each one uses the same weakness: a shopper who is moving fast and expecting deals and packages to be everywhere.
The Better Business Bureau’s roundup of holiday scams lists misleading social media ads and look alike websites among its most reported holiday tricks every year. Both of those show up hardest during the exact weekend when real discount ads are also everywhere, which is what makes them so easy to miss.
Fake Retailer Ads Flood Social Media During the Sales Weekend
During a normal week, an ad offering a name brand item at 80 percent off would raise an eyebrow. During Black Friday week, it looks like Tuesday.
Scammers know this, so they run ads on social media using a real store’s name, logo, and product photos, linking to a website they control instead of the real store.
Plain talk: ad cloaking
A trick where a scam ad shows something safe and normal when reviewed by the platform, then quietly sends real shoppers who click it to a fake website instead.
According to AARP’s 2022 Holiday Shopping and Scams Report, 41 percent of people either believed, or were not sure, that ads for merchandise on social media can always be trusted. The same report found 63 percent believed, or were not sure, whether a real retailer like a major online store would ever ask for your account login information through a link. It never would.
How to Check Before You Click an Ad
- Do not tap “buy now” straight from the ad. Note the store name instead.
- Open a new browser tab and search the store’s name on its own.
- Compare the web address the ad links to against the store’s real, known web address.
- If the ad’s link does not match, close it and go to the real site directly.
- Search the store name plus the word “scam” if anything feels off.
| Real store ad | Fake store ad |
|---|---|
| Links to the store’s own known web address | Links to an unfamiliar or slightly misspelled address |
| Discount matches other ads from the same store | Discount is far bigger than anywhere else |
| Store has a real support line and return policy | No phone number, no real returns process |
Lookalike Shopping Sites Copy Real Stores
A lookalike site is built to look almost exactly like a real store’s website, sometimes down to the logo and layout, with a web address that is close but not quite right.
Plain talk: lookalike site
A fake website copied to look like a real store, using a web address with an extra word, a different ending, or a small misspelling, built only to collect your payment and personal details.
The Better Business Bureau warns that these copycat sites are built specifically to steal information or install harmful software, and they are timed to appear heaviest around the biggest shopping weekend of the year.
Try this
Bookmark the real websites of the two or three stores you shop most, ahead of time. During the sales weekend, use your bookmark instead of clicking links in ads, emails, or texts.
Signs of a lookalike site:
- The web address has an extra word, a different ending, or letters swapped compared to the store you know.
- Prices are far lower than the same item anywhere else, even during the sale.
- Checkout only accepts gift cards, wire transfers, or a payment app, with no credit card option.
- There is no real customer service phone number.
The Countdown Timer Trick
Real stores sometimes use countdown timers for genuine limited time deals. Scam sites use the exact same trick for a different reason: to get you to stop checking and start clicking.
Safety tip
A ticking clock on a shopping site is not proof a deal is real or about to disappear. Treat urgency itself as a reason to slow down and double check, not a reason to hurry.
If a site is pushing you hard to “buy now before it’s gone,” pause. Open a new tab, search for the item at a store you already trust, and compare. A deal that is real somewhere will usually still be findable somewhere else, without the pressure.
Fake Delivery Texts Spike After Cyber Monday
Once Black Friday and Cyber Monday orders start shipping, a different scam takes over: the fake delivery text.
USPS has warned that these texts claim there is a problem delivering a package and ask you to click a link to fix it, often to “confirm your address” or pay a small fee. USPS has said clearly that it does not text shoppers links asking for payment or personal information.
Say this
If a family member shows you a delivery text and asks if it’s safe, you can say: “The real postal service or carrier won’t text a link asking you to pay or confirm details. Let’s check your order directly on the store’s website instead.”
Because so many real packages ship during this same week, a fake delivery text is more likely than usual to land on someone who really is expecting something. That is exactly why scammers save so many of these texts for right after this shopping weekend.
If you get a delivery text you were not expecting, do not tap the link. Open the retailer’s app or website directly, or the carrier’s own site, and check your order status there using your account.
Gift Cards Are Still a Red Flag, Even for “Fees”
Gift cards remain one of the clearest signs of a scam, no matter what story is attached to them. According to the FTC, gift card fraud reports have climbed steadily, with median losses rising as the trick has spread. The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network also recorded more than 5.4 million consumer fraud reports in 2023 alone, with nationwide losses topping $10 billion for the year, a reminder of just how common these scams have become.
Safety tip
No real store, delivery company, or government agency will ever ask you to pay a “customs fee,” “shipping fee,” or “processing fee” with a gift card. If anyone asks for a gift card code by phone, text, or email, it is a scam, every time.
A Simple Black Friday and Cyber Monday Checklist
- Shop from a bookmark or the store’s own app, not a link in an ad, text, or email.
- Search a new store’s name before ordering anything from it.
- Pay by credit card, never with a gift card, wire transfer, or payment app to a stranger.
- Treat countdown timers and urgent wording as a reason to slow down.
- Check delivery status directly on the retailer’s or carrier’s own site, never through a text link.
If you want a second opinion on a deal or a text before you act, our Scam-Stopper Kit (free when you join our email letter) includes a printable version of this checklist for the busiest shopping days of the year.
It also helps to know the payment methods that are always red flags, and our guide on package delivery scam texts walks through more real examples of what these messages say. If you have already clicked a bad link this weekend, do not panic. Our 10 minute checklist for what to do after clicking a scam link walks you through the exact steps in order, and our guide on where to report a scam covers who to contact next.
Where to go from here
Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams follow a pattern built entirely around speed: fast deals, fast ads, and fast shipping, all happening in the same few days. Once you know to slow down at the exact moments scammers want you to hurry, the tricks are much easier to catch. For more ways to spot and avoid scams like these all year, our book Scam-Proof covers the most common scams older adults face, in plain, practical language.
