As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, cybercriminals are poised to target unsuspecting shoppers.
Floridians lost more than $1 billion in 2024 to various scams. Scammers aim to steal your money and personal information during the holiday shopping season.
Cybersecurity expert Jordan Kelly warned about the dangers lurking online.
“If something seems like it’s too good to be true, it might be,” said Kelly. “We’re seeing a lot of pop-up stores, pop-up websites with luxury goods at unrealistic prices. Ultimately, that money is going to the wrong people. The goods will never arrive. Therefore, you should exercise a degree of caution. If you see something that seems like there’s no way they could be selling this product at this price, they likely aren’t, and they’re just going to scam you and take your money.”
Kelly advised shoppers to conduct their own due diligence by researching items separately from the ads and verifying that sellers are legitimate.
Scammers not only want your money but also your personal information, potentially making you a victim of identity theft.
Some tips to protect yourself include thinking before you click on links, not providing personal information in response to unsolicited requests, verifying the authenticity of websites, resisting pressure to act quickly, and hanging up or deleting suspicious texts.
Florida ranked third in complaints and losses in 2024, with expectations for the totals to rise in 2025. Nationally, spending is expected to reach $26 billion online for Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year.
Report any scam attempts to the FBI and the FTC. For a safe shopping season, never pay with gift card codes, as they are often scams.
For more tips on how to identify holiday scammers, refer to the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice article here.
Click here to report an internet crime.
For more information on the Internet Crime Complaint Center, click here.
