The main Black Friday scams are fake stores reached through ads, demands for gift cards or wire payments, fake delivery texts and bogus coupons. Type store addresses yourself, pay by credit card, never pay with gift cards, and check orders in your own account. If scammed, contact your card issuer or gift card company and report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Four checkpoints before you click or pay
Scammers follow the shopping calendar. The sources below, from the FTC and Better Business Bureau, describe the same handful of tricks: fake stores reached through ads, demands for payments that cannot be reversed, delivery messages that steal logins, and discount codes that go nowhere. You can avoid most of them by deciding where to shop and pay before the sales start.
The scams to expect
Fake stores and look-alike sites. BBB says fake sites often use a name very close to a real one, and a spelling error means you are probably not on the official site. Scammers also bury a real domain inside a longer address, so read the whole address. Legitimate stores list a physical address and a working phone number, and have clear return and shipping policies.
Ads for brand-name items at unusually low prices. The FTC warns that scammers often run social media ads for brand-name products at very low prices, and that clicking them can lead to fake sites selling counterfeits, sending items that do not match the ad, or taking your money and delivering nothing (FTC, Nov 25, 2025). BBB adds that even sponsored search results can be fake, and suggests bookmarking official sites in advance.
Gift card and other payment traps. The FTC says no real business or government agency will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them. Its separate scam guide lists crypto, wire transfers, payment apps, gift cards and deposited checks as payment methods to refuse. BBB lists sites that accept only wire transfers, cryptocurrency or gift cards as a red flag.
Fake delivery and order texts. FTC alerts describe messages saying you missed a delivery, owe postage or must fix your address, with a link to a look-alike site that collects what you type or installs malware. The advice: do not click, check tracking through the retailer's site or your account, and contact the carrier by a phone number or website you already know.
Fake coupons and discount codes. BBB's online shopping scams page lists fake coupons and social media discount code scams among the common types. The FTC says to be skeptical of unexpected texts offering free prizes, gift cards or coupons. We did not open details on how each variant works, so treat any code that arrives unprompted as unverified.
Red-flag table
| Red flag | Why it matters | Safer move |
|---|---|---|
| Payment by gift card, wire, app or crypto | FTC and BBB both list these as scam payment methods | Walk away; pay by credit card where possible |
| Address is one letter off, or hides a real name inside a longer one | BBB: fake sites copy real domain names | Type the store's address yourself or use a bookmark |
| Brand-name item at an unusually low price from an ad | FTC: ads can lead to counterfeits or no delivery | Compare on the brand's own site; search the seller plus "scam" |
| Text about a missed delivery with a link | FTC: links lead to look-alike pages | Check your order account; do not tap the link |
| No physical address, phone number or return policy | BBB: legitimate stores list these | Skip the store |
| Pushy pop-ups, spelling errors or broken links | BBB lists these among red flags | Pause, then verify the store |
| Asks for a Social Security number at checkout | BBB: financial details your order doesn't need | Close the page |
Pay in a way that you can undo
The FTC says paying by credit card lets you dispute a charge for a double charge, an item you never got, or a damaged or wrong item. BBB gives the same advice and recommends keeping your order confirmation. The FTC also says sellers must ship by their stated date or offer a refund, and BBB says that is within 30 days when no date is given. Save receipts and screenshots of the listing.
If you think you have been scammed
Paid with a gift card? Contact the gift card company right away, even if it was long ago, and have the card and receipt ready. The FTC says some companies work to stop these scams and may refund you. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Paid by credit card? Contact your card issuer to dispute the charge, as the FTC and BBB describe. We did not verify issuer deadlines, so call promptly.
Clicked a link or entered logins? The FTC says phishing links can steal banking, email or social media logins and install malware, so change those passwords from a safe device. We did not open FTC steps for recovering an account, so use the service's own help page.
Report it. Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM), report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and tell BBB Scam Tracker.
How likely is it?
What is still unconfirmed, how sure we are, and what would settle it. Word labels, not percentages.
Unlikely Which scam variants will spike this season. The FTC and BBB pages we opened are from earlier years and describe how these scams work; none forecasts a 2026 surge. What would settle it: FTC and BBB alerts issued closer to Nov 27.
Unlikely Whether any specific retailer's sale is a scam. Only the retailer's real site can confirm its offers; we did not open any retailer's pages. What would settle it: Going to the retailer's site yourself.
What this page cannot tell you
This is general information from FTC and BBB pages dated as listed in sources, as of Nov 4, 2026. It cannot tell you whether a specific site is legitimate. Contact your bank or the agencies below for your own situation.
Questions and answers
What are the most common Black Friday scams?
FTC and BBB pages describe fake online stores, ads for brand-name items at unusually low prices, gift card and other untraceable payment demands, fake delivery messages, and fake coupons.
How can I tell if an online store is fake?
BBB says to check for a domain close to a real one, missing contact details, unclear return policies, and no reviews or reports. Search the site name plus "scam" or "reviews" before buying.
Is a very low price at a brand-name store a red flag?
It can be. The FTC says scammers run social media ads for brand names at unusually low prices that lead to fake sites. Compare the price on the brand's own website.
Should I ever pay with a gift card?
Not to a seller or for any bill. The FTC says no real business or government agency will tell you to buy a gift card to pay them, and anyone who does is a scammer.
What payment method is safest online?
The FTC and BBB both recommend a credit card because you can dispute a charge if something goes wrong. They advise refusing wire transfers, crypto, payment apps and gift cards as payment to a seller.
I got a text that my package is delayed. Is it real?
Treat it as suspicious. The FTC says fake delivery texts link to look-alike sites; check your order through the retailer's site or your account instead of the link.
What do I do with a scam text?
Don't click it. The FTC says to forward it to 7726 (SPAM), report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and block the sender.
Are sponsored search results safe?
Not always. BBB says even sponsored results at the top of search can be fake. Bookmark official sites and save customer service numbers ahead of time.
Are discount codes on social media safe?
BBB lists social media discount code scams and fake coupons among online shopping scams. Check any code against the retailer's own site.
What if I paid a scammer with a gift card?
Contact the gift card company right away, keep the card and receipt, ask for a refund and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, per the FTC.
What if I bought from a fake store with a credit card?
Contact your card issuer to dispute the charge, as BBB and the FTC describe. Keep your receipt, order confirmation and screenshots of the listing.
Where do I report a scam?
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to BBB Scam Tracker at bbb.org/scamtracker. Reports help warn other shoppers.
What else is a red flag on a shopping site?
BBB lists spelling errors, broken links, pushy pop-ups, no contact details or privacy policy, and requests for a Social Security number your order does not need.
How long should a seller take to ship?
The FTC says sellers must ship by the date they state or offer a refund, and BBB says within 30 days if no date is given. Keep your order confirmation.
Sources. Opened Nov 4, 2026: FTC, How to avoid an online shopping scam this holiday season (Nov 25, 2025); FTC, How To Avoid a Scam (July 2023); FTC, Only scammers tell you to buy a gift card (Oct 4, 2024); FTC, Scammers are delivering phishing messages (Dec 2, 2024); FTC, Think that text message is from USPS? (Apr 23, 2025); FTC, How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages (July 2022); BBB, How to identify a fake website (Oct 23, 2026); BBB, Online shopping scams (Oct 30, 2026); BBB, Smart shopping online (Oct 30, 2026); BBB, That sponsored ad might be a scam (Apr 7, 2025). This article has no affiliate links.