• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, November 25, 2024

Consumers are gearing up for their Black Friday spending, eager to respond to emails that offer holiday discounts. 

But they better be careful: Scam artists are flooding inboxes with unwanted emails.

Shoppers are being warned to not open emails from unknown senders addressed to their Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail and Yahoo accounts. 

The reason is that 77% of Black Friday spam is now made up of scams,  according to a recent study by Bitdefender Antispam Lab.

“If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is!” the FBI states. “Steer clear of unfamiliar sites offering unrealistic discounts on brand-name merchandise.”

Fraudulent spam emails have risen by 7% over the past year, and 21% since 2022, Infosecurity reports. 

There is no question that shoppers are eager to get rolling. Of 70% full-time workers who plan to seek Black Friday deals, 84% will shop during working hours, according to a survey by ResumeTemplates.com. 

But the scammers are lying in wait. Here are some of their subject lines:

The purported Home Depot emails are typical. There is no gift card: Instead, victims are directed to a so-called survey, Bitdefender reports. 

It is not known to what extent consumers will heed this warning. Whatever the percentage, it could pose a risk to legitimate marketers who will be competing for attention in consumers' inboxes.