More than 5,000 Black Friday-related scam sites registered in November

While the holiday season is a peak time for retailers, it also represents an opportunity for cybercriminals. This is particularly true of 2020 when more people than ever are likely to be shopping online.

Research from Comparitech analyzed around 30 million websites registered this month to identify efforts by cybercriminals to trick consumers looking for holiday shopping deals.

Of 267,807 sites registered containing a Black Friday-related keyword, researchers found 5,466 probable scam and phishing sites that had been registered between November 1 and November 20.

It checked the sites against phishing databases of known scam sites and the research team also searched for links to phishing and scam sites on social media.

"Scammers lure victims to their sites using email and social media," says Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate and VPN expert, writing on the Comparitech blog. "We've all seen phishing emails where scammers pose as a business or authority figure to trick victims into clicking on malicious links. Social media posts and pages direct users to the scam page and promise rewards for liking, following, reposting, and registering a new account."

You can find out more, including tips on how to spot phishing sites and ensure you shop safely, on the Comparitech blog.

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