One in four Americans have fallen for scams on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, according to a new survey by NordVPN.
While up to 34 million Americans have been affected by shopping scams, many are still willing to share personal information, including their payment data and children’s names, to get bargain deals.
According to NordVPN, 48 percent of Americans — five percent more than last month — plan to take advantage of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas discount deals. With widespread scams this shopping season, it’s important to exercise caution, the cybersecurity company warned.
“We have seen in the past that cybercriminals become very active during the shopping season, so the 160 million Americans who plan to take advantage of the deals this year should better be on their guard,” Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, warned.
One of the most effective ways to protect yourself from Black Friday scams is to use a VPN. In addition to the standard security features of a VPN, NordVPN’s Threat Protection prevents advertisers and cybercriminals from tracking you online. It also identifies potentially risky websites and blocks malicious files from getting on your device.
How to Protect Yourself From Black Friday Scams
NordVPN found that up to 87 percent of Americans would divulge their personal data for a discount, gift, or free service from retailers. Alarmingly, five percent admitted they would hand over credit card data, and two percent said they would share their social security details.
“The main thing we encourage people to remember this shopping season is if the offer looks too good to be true or a lot of personal information is requested for you to get a deal — you are probably being scammed,” Warmenhoven said.
NordVPN outlined some tips to help you avoid falling into the snare of threat actors.
- Ensure that you only provide the required information for transactions on legitimate websites.
- Carefully check website URLs to avoid landing on phishing sites that mimic legitimate ones.
- Be wary of shortened URLs in advertisements, as they can lead to scam websites.
- Refrain from shopping online without a VPN while connected to public Wi-Fi networks due to security vulnerabilities.
- Use tools like NordVPN’s Threat Protection to detect and avoid suspicious websites.
- Regularly check your bank statements to identify and respond quickly to fraudulent transactions.
- Consider using virtual credit cards for online purchases to keep your real credit card details secure.
Meanwhile, the UK National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Aware campaign, which echoes NordVPN’s concerns, also highlights the threat of AI-generated scams. Criminals can use AI tools to create fake emails, ads, and even bogus sites.
“Cyber security chiefs are encouraging Black Friday bargain hunters to increase their vigilance this shopping season as online fraudsters are likely to use artificial intelligence (AI) to increase the perceived legitimacy of their scams,” the NCSC said.
NordVPN’s Black Friday Special
NordVPN uses industry-standard encryption and an array of thoughtful safety features to keep scams at bay. This VPN provider is offering a significant discount for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can get 69% off its two-year plan, bringing the price down to $2.99 per month — with three extra months free.
We’ve tested dozens of VPNs and NordVPN is our top-rated provider. Read our in-depth NordVPN review to learn why this VPN service ticks all the boxes.
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