Black Friday deals are everywhere. Adobe Digital Insights predicts that 2019 will break records once again, with U.S. consumers spending $7.5 billion online on the day—Cyber Monday will be even bigger, nearing $10 billion. Some of the deals just seem too good to be true. One emailed promotion, for example, offers 80% discounts on designer sunglasses. Hard to resist—just click the link. Only it’s a scam. The email, the website, the links, all fake. And it’s one of many. This type of fraud is now so prevalent that experts advise you to avoid clicking on email links altogether.
In a new report issued on November 26, researchers at leading cybersecurity firm Check Point warn that the increasing risk from cybercriminals over the holiday season means we should modify how we shop online. In November 2018, the researchers say, there was a “significant increase” in phishing emails. Now, a year later, it’s even worse. When Check Point prepared its report in mid-November 2019, “even before the peak of Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” the team explains, “the use of retail phishing URLs had more than doubled—up by 233%.” A week later, by the time this article was published, that had jumped even higher, to 275%.
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