Last updated:
01 October 2026
When you see a great Black Friday deal, it’s tempting to click buy now, before it sells out, and think later. Scammers know this and will be looking for new victims during the Black Friday sales.
Although there are a lot of genuine discounts on offer during Black Friday, fraudsters use the sales as an opportunity to catch you out while you’re rushing to bag a bargain.
Here are a few of the most common scams to look out for:
Fake shopping websites are one of the biggest risks around Black Friday. These can be very realistic and might look almost identical to a brand you know and trust.
Sites could have items you recognise or ones that don’t exist, but once you enter your payment details you won’t get the things you pay for. Your banking information could also be stolen by scammers.
There are some warning signs to look out for:
Double check the spelling and format of the web address. There could be extra letters, numbers or words to change it slightly. Search for the real website and compare the addresses.
If you have a basket on the fake site, it won’t appear when you’re on the real one.
Most legitimate shopping sites have lots of extra pages, like delivery or refund information, FAQs or a map of store locations.
If these aren’t there or don’t look filled out properly, it could be a sign you’re on a fake site.
If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. If prices have been slashed to only a few pounds, you might not be looking at a real site.
Spotted a spelling mistake or out-of-date information? Although these fake websites can look real at first glance, there’s not always the attention to detail that real brands have on their sites.
Where there should be a description of the product you’re buying, on spoof sites you often see filler text that might not make sense.
It’s very unlikely that a real shop would want you to pay with gift cards from other brands or with a bank transfer. But these payment methods are more difficult for banks or credit card companies to block or refund, so scammers can prefer them.
If you come to pay and get a notification from your bank, check the name of the company and the amount being requested. Often these won’t match up with what you expect.
Normally, real shopping sites don’t set a timer for you to get a deal, but these are a common sign of scam shopping sites, especially around Black Friday.
Dial 159Opens in a new window and you will be connected to your bank’s fraud department.
This is a quick and easy way to make sure a call is genuine and avoid being scammed. Find out more about this service and which banks are involved on StopScamsUK.
Fake sites tempt you to click onto their page by offering unbelievable deals.
Around Black Friday it’s especially difficult to spot the difference between real and fake offers.
Scammers can offer fake discount codes as well as sales to try and trick you into entering your bank or card details.
Always check the reviews for sites you’ve never heard of, and if it’s a brand you already know, make sure the web address is correct.
Some fake shopping sites are so realistic these days, that all the products on them are a match for the real site. Try searching the web for the item you want to buy, and you might find it on the real site at a higher price.
Whether it’s because of Black Friday or Christmas, during this time of year you might be doing more online shopping. This is why it’s so important you don’t fall for scam emails and texts telling you than an account, payment or order needs urgent verification.
These fake verification messages might say they are from popular shopping sites to try and get information from you, including:
If you get a message that worries you about an order. Go direct to the retailer and ask them. Don’t use any email address or phone number from the email or text, go to the real site and find the customer service contact details there.
Another type of scam you might be targeted with involves emails or texts pretending to be from delivery companies like Royal Mail, DPD or InPost.
They will often ask for payment for underpaid postage by using a link that goes to a fake site.
For Royal Mail deliveries from the UK, underpaid postage will usually come as a grey card through your door, not as an email or text.
If you’re expecting an international delivery, it’s quite common that tax or customs might be owed on it, and you might be told that via email.
Make sure you double check the details given for payment. They might tell you to call a number to make a payment, check this matches up with the number on the delivery company’s official site.
No real delivery company would ask you to pay by bank transfer or gift card for any owed postage, tax or customs.
Although anyone can be caught out by a scam online, there are some steps you can take to avoid Black Friday scams:
It’s usually safe to shop in Black Friday sales. A lot of legitimate retailers will share discount codes or money off during November.
However, scammers will use this as an opportunity to try and make money. Always double check that you’re on the correct website and avoid clicking links in messages or on adverts if you can.
If you think you’ve made an order through a fake website, or think a scammer has your bank or other personal details, there are ways you can stop or limit the amount of money they can take.
As soon as you realise something isn’t right:
