Amazon recently pushed out warning emails to millions of customers, flagging fake delivery updates and account alerts that are spreading fast during Black Friday. If you are buying anything online from Amazon this Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you are naturally more likely to fall under scammer radar.
I know it sounds a little dramatic when you first hear it, but it really isn’t.
Think about it. With more than 310 million active Amazon users scrolling, shopping, and checking delivery updates, it’s basically a huge ocean out there. And scammers don’t need to be smart. They just cast the net and hope someone clicks. Any fish in the sea works for them. Sometimes that fish is… us.
That’s why Amazon sent a warning on November 24 saying scammers are impersonating the company through fake delivery updates, refund messages and those “there’s an issue with your account” alerts.
And this isn’t the first time. Remember Prime Day?
Researchers found 120,000 fake Amazon websites created just to trap shoppers. Fake login pages, fake deals, fake support portals… all waiting for people rushing through checkout. So, if it happened then, why wouldn’t it happen now, during the biggest sale weekend of the year?
Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs found more than 18,000 holiday-themed domains registered in just three months. Christmas, Black Friday, Flash Sale, basically all the usual bait.
At least 750 of those were confirmed malicious. And another 19,000 domains were built to imitate big retailers, Amazon included, with 2,900 malicious ones already identified.
This isn’t just about Amazon though. It’s happening everywhere.
Amazon is just the elephant in the room because it’s big, loud and impossible to miss. But pretending the rest of the room is safe would be a mistake.
Every major retailer becomes a potential target during the holiday rush, and the scam patterns are the kinda same across the board.
If we want to avoid falling for these traps, we need to be a little more intentional this week.
Scammers often create websites that look almost identical to major retailers. The layout, colors, buttons and logo can all seem real at first glance. The giveaway usually isn’t the design, it’s the URL.
Most fake websites hide small changes in the address, hoping people won’t notice.
Common signs include:
The simplest way to avoid this is to go directly to the retailer yourself. Instead of clicking on a link from an email, text message or social media ad, type the official website manually into your browser or use the retailer’s mobile app.
Before entering payment information, check two things:
If the URL looks unusual or doesn’t match what you normally see, it’s safer to close the page.
A lot of scams during Black Friday rely on pressure. You might get a text or email saying there’s a problem with your order, a delivery has been delayed, or your account needs verification “right now.” These messages use words like urgent, immediately, or action required to push you into clicking before you think.
Most of the time, that urgency is the scam.
Real companies might alert you about an issue, but they won’t ask you to fix it through a random link in a message. That’s the difference.
For example, take a look at the above picture. If you saw this in your inbox, it would look real at first like the same logo, same colors. But it’s fake. A few things give it away:
Of course, real companies might ask you to update payment info, but they won’t do it through a random email or text with a link. When in doubt, just open the app and check your account yourself.
You know that moment when you’re scrolling Amazon and suddenly see something crazy like a $250 pair of Bose headphones going for $49.99?
Our first reaction is, “No way… but also… kinda convinced that it might be true.”
This happens a lot on Amazon, especially when the seller isn’t verified or has barely any history. High-ticket items like iPhones, Switches, home appliances, tablets and monitors are the easiest bait.
Before you hit “Buy Now,” sanity-check the basics:
Real discounts happen, but premium products rarely drop to 70% or 80% off from unknown sellers. That is usually the trap.
A quick seller check and price comparison protects you from most fake or non-delivery scams.
How you pay says a lot about how safe the transaction is. If a seller wants gift cards, crypto, wire transfers or anything that can’t be reversed, that is usually your sign to walk away. Those payment methods are the scammer favorites because once the money leaves your hands, it is gone.
Even with normal online shopping, try not to use your debit card. If something goes wrong, the money comes straight out of your bank account and getting it back can take days or weeks. Not fun, especially during the holidays.
Credit cards are safer because you get fraud protection and chargeback rights. If a scam happens, the bank steps in and you are not fighting for your own money. Digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay also help because they hide your actual card number.
Shopping while you are out at a cafe, airport or mall might feel convenient, but public Wi-Fi is not the place to enter your card details. Open networks are shared spaces and anyone on the same connection can potentially see what you are doing.
If you need to buy something, switch to your mobile data or wait until you are on a secure home or work network.
And if you are already on public Wi-Fi, avoid logging into anything that involves payments or sensitive information.
Scammers know everyone is expecting orders and holiday gifts right now, so they send emails or texts that look real. Most of these are just trying to get you to click a link.
You’ll see things like:
If you click, the link can send you to a fake page asking for your details or install something harmful on your device.
How to avoid it:
When something feels off, skip the message and open the retailer’s app to check for yourself.
Most account break-ins don’t happen through “hacking.” They happen because someone guessed a reused password or tricked a person into giving away their login code.
For example, you might get a text that says:
“Your account needs verification. Send the code you just received.”
It looks official, but that code is what gives someone access to your account.
A real company will never ask you for it.
To stay safe:
If a message asks for your code, stop there. That alone tells you it isn’t legitimate.
Holiday shopping gets messy fast. You buy from five different sites, get ten different emails, and suddenly you can’t remember what you actually ordered.
This is exactly what fake confirmations take advantage of.
Why it helps:
Simple, but it saves people from a lot of trouble.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday bring great prices, but they also bring plenty of noise like fake updates, fake sites and messages that look a little too real. Most of this can be avoided with the simple habits above.
Pay attention, trust your instincts, and enjoy the sales. Happy shopping. 🎁
