Black Friday brings excitement with the year’s best deals, but it also brings a spike in online fraud. During the holiday rush, cybercriminal activity rises sharply as people shop and buy quickly, often missing signs of danger. And it’s getting harder than ever to notice them when today’s online scams use AI messages, fake websites, and sophisticated social engineering tricks that can fool even the most tech-savvy shoppers.
Whether you’re shopping for yourself or managing business purchases at scale for your Calgary organization’s IT procurement, awareness is your strongest of defense. Before you click “Buy Now,” take steps to ensure your personal and financial data stay secure. This guide will walk you through the latest holiday cyber threats, the red flags to watch for, and practical strategies to protect yourself and your entire organization.
You don’t have to navigate all of this alone. Partnering with PC Corp’s trusted IT procurement experts in Calgary and Edmonton can help you avoid risky vendors, spot suspicious deals, and make secure, high-quality business technology purchases that support your business goals.
The Holiday Cybercrime Surge: Why The Risk Jumps
Cyber scams spike in November and December for three reasons:
- More transactions mean more opportunities for cybercriminals. Last year, online orders during Cyber Week (November 26-December 2) grew 7% in the U.S. and 6% globally, driven heavily by AI-optimized sales funnels
- Criminals know our guard drops in a rush, and they take advantage of that. They offer us fake limited-time deals that lead to a heightened sense of urgency and impulse buying.
- Distraction and fatigue from constant alerts and information overload causes people to skim instead of scrutinizing.
With that growth in sales volume creating more noise, it’s easier than ever for cybercriminals to slip through. Think about it like a hockey game: with more shots being taken, the goalie has a harder time defending the net and faces more pressure than ever.
And to make things worse, today’s criminals use AI-assisted voice cloning, hybrid social engineering, cloud account impersonation, and supply-chain infiltration techniques, all designed to bypass your defenses long before you even see a suspicious email. If we go back to that hockey metaphor, these bad actors aren’t just taking more shots. They’re also able to land them with elite precision.
The losses reflect this. Americans reported $16.6 billion in cybercrime losses in 2024—a 33% jump from the year before. And because most fraud isn’t reported, the real number is likely even higher.
The Attack Types You’ll Encounter This Holiday Season
Knowing what to expect is your first step towards defending your organization from harm. Here are some of the most common ways cybercriminals try to take advantage of holiday shoppers:
Phishing Emails and QR-Code Scams
Fake shipping notices and “your package is delayed” emails flood inboxes during the holiday shopping season. Delivery-related scam activity has surged in recent years, leading to a technique called “brushing” that have risen 46% this year alone. This growing threat leverages QR-code phishing (or “quishing”), in which criminals embed malicious code that, when scanned, send you to credential-harvesting sites or malware downloads.
Fake Retail Website and AI-Generated Social Media Storefronts
Did you know that one in five people have unknowingly bought from fake online stores promoted through AI-generated ads? It’s easier than ever to be tricked into handing over your credit card info to a criminal. Every year, cybercriminals launch thousands of fake storefronts that mimic real businesses, using logos, reviews, and countdown timers.
They copy top brands—Stüssy, Wayfair, Dyson—and lure shoppers into entering their payment details. In other cases, they launch malicious ads that lead directly to fraudulent payment pages that appear to be “deal of the day” offers. With the level of sophistication and skill deployed, it’s no surprise that 35% of social media shoppers experienced fraud in 2024.
Public Wi-Fi Risks
Public Wi-Fi in cafes, airports, or malls makes it easy for attackers to steal data. These networks are rarely encrypted, which means anyone on the same connection can potentially intercept what you’re doing. Even simple actions, like checking email or logging into an account, can expose sensitive information.
Red Flags to Watch For
Among the various strategies experts recommend to counter social engineering attacks, awareness is likely your best defense.
Your instincts are powerful. If something feels off, it probably is. Trust that. And if you’re looking for insight into how to know something is fishy, here are the red flags that show up repeatedly during Black Friday and Cyber Monday:
- Suspicious URLs — Odd spellings (“Amaz0n.com”), extra characters, or unusual domain endings like .shop or .xyz are often a sign of suspicious activity.
- Unsecured sites — If a URL doesn’t have an HTTPS or padlock icon, it likely doesn’t provide a secured connection.
- Unrealistic deals — If an advertisement promises something that seems too good to be true, it’s likely an urgency tactic designed to bypass logic.
- Unverified QR codes — Especially if you receive one in an email, text or from unfamiliar sources, avoid scanning.
- Unusual payment methods — A website that asks for payment via gift cards, wire transfers or crypto likely isn’t legitimate.
- Branding inconsistencies — Signs like blurry logos, typos, or mismatched formatting could indicate a scam is in the works.
Six Smart Shopping Security Practices
While it’s critical to understand the red flags that indicate a scam, it’s also important to take proactive action and build a layered defense. Don’t worry, these steps don’t require a cybersecurity degree—just awareness and a little discipline.
1. Use Strong, Unique Passwords (or a Password Manager)
This habit protects you from credential stuffing, a common form of online fraud. Most people avoid complex passwords out of fear they will forget them. A password manager solves this by giving each account its own unique key and storing it in a secure location.
2. Enable MFA on All Shopping Accounts
Most online account breaches are prevented from multi-factor authentication. It creates a second wall cybercriminals can’t cross, even if they steal your password.
3. Shop with Verified Retailers
When making a purchase, use official retailers, their verified apps, or well-known businesses. Be cautious about unknown brands that you’ve only seen on Instagram or in ads.
4. Avoid Public Wi-Fi. Use a VPN Instead
Public Wi-Fi exposes your traffic to interception. Your cellular data is safer: if necessary, create a hotspot when online shopping or working outside of the home or office. For an organization’s employees, using your corporate VPN is even better because it adds encryption to everything you do online.
5. Keep Devices Updated
Software programs regularly release patches that fix the known vulnerabilities that cyber scammers rely on to enter your systems. Always run security updates when launched to prevent creating a larger attack surface for bad actors.
6. Use Credit Cards or Digital Wallets
Credit cards offer stronger fraud protection than debit or e-transfer. If fraud occurs, you’re disputing the bank’s money, not your own balance.
Watch Out for Business Purchases Too
Many businesses jump on Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to procure hardware, software, and devices for their staff. That makes them prime targets for complex cyber attacks like impersonation campaigns, supply-chain scams, and invoice fraud, which impacted nearly half of Canadian businesses last year, with losses averaging $133,000 .
Want to avoid these outcomes for your own organization? Here are some proven strategies to reduce your risk:
- Verify vendors directly. One phone call can prevent thousands in losses.
- Train staff using proven cybersecurity practices so they know what social engineering attacks and impersonation attempts look like.
- Secure company devices with proper endpoint protection and other advanced data protection measures.
- Most importantly: work with IT procurement specialists in Calgary who validate vendors, confirm product legitimacy, and protect your technology investments. The right partner has the expertise to help you source industry-leading, secure hardware and software that keeps your operations secure.
Rely on Secure, Optimized IT Procurement with PC Corp
The holidays should be about celebrating, not recovering from a data breach. A few proactive steps can protect your finances, your identity, and your peace of mind. And when it comes to business purchases, having the right partner makes all the difference in working securely and productively.
With our expert IT procurement services at PC Corp, you’ll have a skilled partner in making secure, strategic technology decisions and avoiding the “too good to be true” deals that put your business at risk. Rely on us to verify vendors, negotiate pricing, and configure secure systems.
If you want expert guidance to secure your organization’s technology, contact PC Corp today. Our team is ready to help you shop smarter and protect your data.
