Warning to beware of online scammers as Black Friday approaches
Scots are losing more than £2500 a day to online scammers, experts have warned ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Advice Direct Scotland, which operates the national service consumeradvice.scot, is urging shoppers to stay vigilant as they hunt for bargains. New figures show that Scots suffered almost £1 million in financial losses last year after falling victim to online scams.
During 2024 it recorded a total of 1031 cases, resulting in combined financial losses of £946,126, equivalent to £2,592 being lost to online scams every day. As the figures only relate to cases that were reported, the true scale of losses is likely to be significantly higher.
Scammers often use the events to exploit shoppers, especially during timed sales, pressuring victims into parting with money, bank details, or personal information. Advice Direct Scotland’s experts warn that fraudsters are increasingly using new tactics to target online shoppers seeking bargains in the pre-Christmas sales.
Jillian Edmund, project lead at Advice Direct Scotland, said: “These sales may offer the chance to grab cut-price Christmas gifts, but they also are a prime time for scammers to target unsuspecting online shoppers. “AI is making emails and images more convincing, so it’s now harder to spot scams. Shoppers need to check who they’re buying from to ensure their purchases are safe and worth the money.”
Free advice is available calling 0808 164 6000 or at www.consumeradvice.scot.