New research from Bitdefender highlights significant risks for consumers this Black Friday. The study reveals that 53% of Black Friday-related spam emails could be fraudulent, with many impersonating large retailers like Amazon. These scams primarily target North America, with 60% of the fraudulent emails reaching U.S. inboxes.
Scam Tactics and Targets
Scammers frequently offer too-good-to-be-true discounts to deceive consumers. A notable example includes emails impersonating UnitedHealthcare, promoting a 'Smile Upgrade' for dental kits to extract personal data. Other impersonated brands include MediaMarkt, TEMU, and IKEA. Bitdefender advises consumers to confirm any promotional offers directly on retailers' websites and to stay vigilant about delivery notifications.
Email Origination and Scam Strategy
According to Bitdefender, a substantial portion of these scam emails originates from the U.S. (43%), with notable contributions from the Netherlands (14%) and Indonesia (13%). The rise in sophistication among scammers is evident, with many successfully mimicking well-known brands to enhance their deceptive efforts.
Bitdefender suggests maintaining active and up-to-date security software to protect against such threats. Consumers are encouraged to use link-scanning or verification tools and to validate suspicious emails before interacting.
