NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -- New research from Check Point Software shows that new scam websites have spiked nearly 90% since last Black Friday and have more than tripled since 2022.
According to the data, one in five adults fall victim to online scams every year. Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it even more realistic and difficult to decipher.
"A lot of it has to do with AI being able to generate lookalike websites," said Check Point’s Tony Sabaj. "So I can say, 'Hey, make my website look like the Louis Vuitton website or the Rolex website.'"
In a day and age with such sophisticated scamming, what should people look for to make sure a sweet online deal isn’t a trap?
"Really the first thing to look at is either look at the email that you’re getting that may have the phishing site in it, and look at actually who it’s from, not just the display name," explained Sabaj. "And the same thing with the URL of the website address. If someone is spoofing Macy’s, it’s not going to be 'BlackFridayDealMacys.com,' it’s going to be 'BlackFriday.Macys.com.'"
While older demographics are common targets for these types of scams, Sabaj said members of the younger generations, always on their phones, are just as susceptible.
"It’s also much easier to fall for these types of scams on mobile devices than it is on a full-blown PC, so you don’t even actually know what link you’re clicking on," Sabaj detailed.
Cyber Monday has evolved to be on par with Black Friday in terms of shopping. Scams have also evolved to hit more at home with shoppers.
"We’re starting to see more localized phishing attempts that are somewhat targeted at specific geographies, because you wouldn’t think that your regional department store is going to be phished," said Sabaj.
Strong security is the best bet at combating this. That means strong passwords, among other safeguards.
"Try your best to shop with credit cards as opposed to debit cards. You have much more legal recourse if you do fall for one of these scams,” Sabaj explained. "Turn on things like two-factor authentication on your Amazon account."