Black Friday is nearly upon us for another year, a ‘holiday’ which used to be confined to the US market and has since made itself a firm fixture in our calendars. Furthermore, Black Friday is no longer just a single day event, retailers now promote Black Friday deals for days or even weeks in advance, with a huge majority of online offers.
There is growing interest year on year, and this trend is especially true in the Irish market. Recent data from KANTAR examining the current picture in Irish market with regard to Black Friday buying patterns showed, “The proportion of adults who make Black Friday purchases has also been climbing in recent years, reaching 36% today (1.5 million adults). This figure is slightly higher than the equivalent in Northern Ireland (34%), but far higher than the 21% of British consumers who claim to spend on Black Friday” (Source: KANTAR Media, Oct 2024).
This growing interest presents a unique and ideal opportunity for cyber criminals. Jonathon Ellison, Director for National Resilience at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) notes that this is a time when cyber criminals seek to exploit increased spending, using trusted brands, popular products and current events to deceive people into clicking malicious links or sharing personal and financial information (Source: The Guardian, Nov 2025).
With this mind, in this blog we’ll explore the reality of Black Friday deals, red flags to be wary of, the growing role of AI in scams and advice of what to do if you think you’ve been targeted. We hope to forewarn and forearm to ensure we can all stay protected as we enter the festive season.
The Urgency of Black Friday Deals – are they worth it?
Black Friday draws on the pull of limited deals, last chance offers and buy now bargains. It is very easy to get caught up in the fear of missing out on a time-sensitive sale. It is this sense of urgency that cyber criminals capitalise on, as it can provoke us into an impulse purchase or clicking a dangerous link.
This leads us to ask the question, are Black Friday deals genuinely worth it? Which?, the UK’s leading consumer organisation, conducted research which found that genuinely good Black Friday deals are very rare. They looked at 227 deals on popular products advertised by some of the biggest retailers during 2023’s Black Friday sales and checked pricing six months before and six months after the day itself. In their investigation, for the first time ever, every one of the ‘deals’ checked was available for the same price or less at other times of the year than on Black Friday itself. They also found that, around 4 in 10 deals were cheaper at other times of the year than on Black Friday and 11% of the products were cheaper than their Black Friday price in the six months before the big day (Source: Which? Nov 2025).
This data would suggest that often the deals we believe to exist in this timeframe, may be unfounded. Despite this data, many of us still get swept up in the shopping hysteria and chase the ‘best deal’, which can lead to rushed decisions and panic purchases. Cyber criminals are aware of our buying patterns, and psychology around purchasing -and will do their best to exploit this when they can. Knowledge is power, and hopefully this context can encourage us to be more informed and attended ahead of buying items this Black Friday.
Red Flags and Common Black Friday Scams
Action Fraud, the UK’s scam reporting centre, said that social media platforms were mentioned in 43% of reports in 2023, with online marketplaces accounting for 18.9% of mentions. Furthermore, telecoms company Three said that its customers reported close to 3,500 scam messages each day during the Black Friday period in 2023 (Source: BBC Bitesize, Nov 2024) This data highlights the role social media and phishing scams play in Black Friday fraudulence, and encourages us to be more mindful of texts, social media and using online marketing places.
Phishing Emails, Texts and Fake Websites
Cyber criminals will often create personalised offers and discounts to draw individuals in. Messages will include, ‘exclusive discounts just for you’ or ask users ‘to click this voucher to claim a personalised discount.’ Furthermore, delivery scams are rife at this time of year, where they will claim undelivered or missing parcels that encourage users to click a link to reschedule or pay a small fee. Awareness is essential in combating these types of crimes.
Fake websites and cloned brands will often appear more frequently at this time of year. Always check the URL and overall look of the website before entering any information.
Which? offers the following advice:
- Beware fake websites that closely resemble genuine retailers. Check that the URL matches the official brand.
- Watch out for posts from newly created social media accounts or links to recently created websites
- Read reviews and only buy from authorised sellers and websites.
(Source: Which? Oct 2025)
The Growing Role of AI in Black Friday Scams
However, in 2025 we are operating in an even more sophisticated environment than we were when Black Friday arrived here, or even last year. The growing use of AI is making scams more convincing, targeted and harder to detect. AI tools enable criminals to generate polished, professional-looking emails and messages, produce at scale and tailor tone and language to specific groups. We need to move away from the perception of a lone hacker, the reality is these cyber criminals work at scale and attack huge volumes of individuals. The NCSC notes that cyber criminals are increasingly using AI technologies, such as large language models, to produce more convincing scam emails, fake adverts and bogus websites (Source: NCSC, Sept 2025).
Top Tips to Avoid be Scammed
There are a number of helpful resources from official bodies that can help to avoid being scammed. We’ve noted some of them below.
Firstly, follow UK Finance’s ‘Take 5 to Stop Fraud’ guidance which we’ve summarised below, and is available in more detail via their website. Here are the key principles:
- Take 5 to Stop Fraud
• Stop – Take time to think before parting with money or information.
• Challenge – It’s okay to be cautious and reject a request if anything feels off. Genuine organisations won’t mind.
• Protect – Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve been scammed. - Type, Don’t Tap
• Instead of clicking on links in texts or emails, manually type the official website address into your browser.
• This helps avoid lookalike sites and phishing pages that sit behind shortened or misleading links. - Choose Your Payment Method Carefully
• Where possible, use a credit card for online payments. Many credit cards provide extra protection for online purchases under the Consumer Credit Act.
• Debit card payments generally offer less protection, but you may be able to make a claim for a refund under a voluntary scheme called ‘chargeback.’
Source: NCSC, July 2024.
Pause Before you Purchase
Our top tip is to be extra cautious this November as Black Friday approaches. Remember, take your time, be mindful of personalised offers, type, don’t tap and go directly to trusted websites. Lastly, only purchase what you need – don’t let marketing hype drive your decisions, refer back to the Which? Research previously cited. By adopting some caution, and more awareness with your purchasing you can navigate Black Friday and the festive season with greater peace of mind.
