- NordVPN analysis found a 250% increase in fake Black Friday stores
- Scammers use AI to copy retailer sites and steal data
- NordVPN Threat Protection Pro blocked 4.5 million malicious domains
Black Friday is almost here, and it brings with it not only huge discounts but also the risk of fake online stores and other online scams.
Scammers are taking advantage of the holiday season frenzy, flooding the web with counterfeit stores promising impossible bargains. A recent NordVPN analysis, first published by Euronews, shows a 250% increase in fake e-commerce sites in the weeks leading up to the sale weekend.
These scam sites endanger shoppers by diverting payment details, stealing personal data, and luring victims into sophisticated investment scam schemes, all before Black Friday sales day arrives. Losses from investment fraud exceeded $5.7 billion in 2024 alone.
NordVPN, the best VPN on the market according to TechRadar reviewers, reported that its Threat Protection Pro feature blocked more than 4.5 million malicious domains between March and October 2025. That’s a sign that criminals are honing their tools as shoppers prepare for the biggest sales weekend of the year.
A perfect storm for Black Friday shoppers
NordVPN’s research highlights how quickly fake storefronts appear in the run-up to Black Friday.
By cloning the look and feel of major retailers (with banners reading “up to 70% off” and realistic images of products), these sites lure unsuspecting consumers into entering credit card details, only for the data to be harvested or sold on the dark web.
Many of these counterfeit stores disappear within hours of the sale, making it difficult for authorities to track down the scammers.
NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro presents an equally alarming picture. Over an eight-month period, the service identified and blocked 4.5 million domains linked to phishing, fake stores, investment scams, and session hijacking attacks.
“Scammers are evolving at an unprecedented pace, using AI to not only automate attacks but also make them deeply convincing,” said Marijus Briedis, chief technology officer (CTO) at NordVPN.
Artificial intelligence allows cybercriminals to generate persuasive texts, completely fake voice calls, and even fully functional storefront templates. NordVPN flags more than 120,000 malicious sites impersonating Amazon over the course of just two months.
“AI is a double-edged sword: While it drives incredible innovations, it also equips fraudsters with tools to immaculately imitate legitimate communication,” Briedis explained.
The convergence of these trends creates a perfect storm for Black Friday shoppers. The sheer volume of discounted offers fuels a sense of urgency, leading users to click on ads they otherwise wouldn’t. This has led to a dramatic increase in successful fraud attempts, with investment scams expected to cost victims an estimated $5.7 billion worldwide by 2024.
How NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro can help buyers
Protecting yourself against fake stores and online scams largely comes down to basics like checking HTTPS certificates, checking retailer URLs, and avoiding deals that seem too good to be true.
However, NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro is designed to counter this type of sophisticated, large-scale abuse by blocking not only ads and trackers, but also malicious domains and phishing domains.
Threat Protection Pro got its phishing protection certified by AV-Comparatives after blocking 90% of phishing URLs in tests. In particular, it has obtained certified fake store protection on the back.
Available for Windows and Mac, Threat Protection Pro works through real-time domain filtering that automatically denies connections to newly identified scam sites, including the flood of fake Black Friday stores.
Threat Protection Pro provides scam and fraud alerts and, if you’re based in the US, can be combined with NordVPN’s NordProtect, whose identity protection helps detect data breaches early.
However, keep in mind that you need to upgrade to one of NordVPN’s top-tier plans to get access to Threat Protection Pro. The good news is that thanks to NordVPN’s early Black Friday VPN deal, doing so is much cheaper than usual…
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