Black Friday marks one of the busiest online shopping periods of the year, and cybercriminals know it.
When employees are comparing deals, tracking deliveries, or buying personal items from their work devices, attackers see an opportunity to slip into corporate systems through something as simple as a fake offer or a fraudulent package alert.
This guide is designed to give employees clear, practical steps to avoid scams, and help organizations reduce human-driven cyber risk during high-volume shopping periods.
Why this matters for companies
👉 Around 30 million people purchased online in 2023.
👉 8% of buyers say they’ve been victims of economic fraud.
👉 7.7% report encountering suspicious e-commerce sites.
High activity plus low attention creates the perfect environment for cybercriminals.
When an employee clicks on a scam, the consequences can escalate quickly: their credentials may be harvested, their device compromised with malware, their corporate email exposed, and attackers may use that foothold to pivot deeper into internal systems.
A personal mistake can quickly become a business-wide incident.
THE GUIDE: how employees can avoid Black Friday scams
- Before buying anything, verify the website
Checklist to evaluate any online store:
✔️ Check the URL carefully
Look for “https://” and be cautious with unfamiliar domains like .top, .xyz, .shop, .ru.
Legitimate brands typically use .com or .es.
✔️ Scan the design and language
Poor translation, pixelated logos, generic product photos, or missing menus are strong indicators of a fake site.
✔️ Confirm the company details
A real store will include legal information, physical address, return policies, and customer service contacts.
- Be suspicious of unbelievable discounts
Black Friday does include real deals, but scammers rely on “too good to be true” pricing to push urgency.
⚠️ Warning signs:
• A product priced significantly lower than every other retailer
• Countdown timers, “Only today”, “Last units”, “Ends in 30 minutes”
• No clear warranty or return policy
• No identifiable seller
If the offer looks impossible, it probably is.
- Protect your payment information
Use safer payment methods:
• Credit or debit card with strong authentication → These often allow chargebacks when products never arrive.
• Digital payment platforms → They reduce exposure by not sharing full card numbers.
• Virtual or one-time-use cards → They limit the amount an attacker can access.
Avoid:
• Bank transfers.
• Direct payments to individuals.
• Requests for “small verification fees”.
- Identify fake gift cards and giveaway messages
Scammers often impersonate retailers offering €100–€200 gift cards or “exclusive Black Friday rewards.”
đźš© Red flags:
• Text filled with spelling errors.
• No legal terms or conditions.
• Sender address that doesn’t match the brand.
• Over-the-top promises of money.
• Immediate requests for small payments to “unlock the reward”.
What to do:
• Search for the promotion on the brand’s official site.
• Compare the sender to previous legitimate emails.
• Never enter card details or personal data to “claim a prize”.
- Don’t fall for “your package is blocked” scams
During Black Friday, a huge portion of employees are waiting for deliveries. Scammers exploit this by sending SMS, email, or WhatsApp messages asking for:
• Personal data
• Payment of a small customs fee
• Login credentials
• Confirmation of address
How to stay safe:
• Do not click links in unexpected delivery messages → Instead, open the courier’s official app or website manually.
• Check the email address → Fake ones often differ by a letter or come from public domains like gmail.com.
• Slow down when you see urgency → Language like “Immediate action required” is a common manipulation tactic.
• Be cautious of tracking numbers you don’t recognize.
- Protect your device from hidden malware
Some fraudulent shipping emails or “receipt attachments” contain malware.
If you clicked accidentally:
• Disconnect from Wi-Fi or enable airplane mode
• Avoid logging into apps
• Check the Downloads folder for suspicious files
• Delete anything unfamiliar
• Update and run antivirus
• Change critical passwords from another device
• Notify IT if it was a work device
- When in doubt, verify through a safe channel
Employees should:
• Contact the courier directly through the official site
• Use the retailer’s app
• Ask IT if something looks off
• Avoid forwarding suspicious emails internally (send screenshots instead)
Companies can reinforce this by:
✔️ Reminding teams of official communication channels
✔️ Sharing examples of real and fake messages
✔️ Providing a fast way to report suspicious content
Practical tips companies can share internally 🙌
âś… Encourage employees to do personal shopping on personal devices, not work laptops.
âś… Remind teams not to reuse corporate passwords on shopping sites.
âś… Send a quick internal guide on spotting fake deals.
âś… Warn about the rise in package-delivery scams during December.
âś… Offer an easy reporting mechanism for suspicious emails or SMS.
Black Friday is a great moment for shopping, and an even better moment for cybercriminals.
Employees don’t need to stop participating; they simply need the right awareness and habits. With clear communication and practical guidance, companies can dramatically reduce the risk that a personal mistake turns into a business incident.
