Most people look forward to turkey with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving. Not me. I’m a born shopper. So, while the rest of America is in a food-induced coma, I’m either headed to the nearest mall or stalking the best specials online with the other diehards (you know who you are). It’s an innocent pastime, right? (I mean, besides the damage to your wallet.) I wasn’t always aware of the cyber risks in some of those “too good to be true” deals, so here’s a quick guide to keep you safe while you shop this holiday season.
Why Holiday Scams Spike: What’s at Risk
Here’s the part nobody talks about: the holidays are busy for scammers too. You’ll see “order problem” texts, copycat store sites, and links that promise a deal and deliver malware. One bad click can mean a hijacked device, a drained card, or just enough personal info to open accounts in your name.
Black Friday Cybersecurity Tips
If you only do a handful of things, do these:
Use credit cards or virtual card numbers, not debit. Turn on transaction alerts.
Shop in retailer apps or direct websites—don’t buy through links from emails/texts/social ads.
Check for HTTPS and typo’d URLs; when in doubt, type the address yourself.
Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) everywhere you store payment info.
Skip public Wi-Fi for purchases; use your phone’s hotspot or wait until you’re on ai trusted home network (if you want the reliable kind, start here).
Online Shopping Scams to Avoid on Cyber Monday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are peak season for fake “delivery failed,” “account locked,” or “confirm your payment” messages.
What to do:
Don’t click strange links. Go straight to your retailer account or the shipping carrier app to check orders.
Verify sender domains (For example, amazon.com is NOT the same as the fake amaz0n-support.com).
Report and delete suspicious messages.
Watch out for:
“Order problem” texts and fake delivery notices
Don’t click. Open your retailer account or carrier app (UPS/USPS/FedEx) and check the order there.
Look-alike retailer sites and too-good-to-be-true deals
Check domain spelling, a real address/phone, third-party reviews, and sane prices.
Charity scams during the holidays
Donate through known organizations or type the nonprofit’s URL yourself.
Helpful guides: the FTC on shopping online safely, CISA’s online shopping tips, and the FBI’s holiday PSA on shopping scams.
Safe Holiday Shopping: Secure Payments & Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi is convenient, but it’s not great for checkout pages.
Use your mobile hotspot or a trusted home network when entering payment info.
Keep devices updated (OS, browser, and retail apps). If you prefer help with the nerdy stuff, our affordable internet solutions blog is a good place to start: homes and businesses.
Use a password manager so you’re not reusing passwords across retailers.
In your retail/bank apps, review saved cards and one-tap checkout settings on shared devices.
For small businesses that offer guest Wi-Fi, segment your networks so customer devices never touch your POS. The FCC’s small-business guidance is a good primer on basics and PCI hygiene: Cybersecurity for Small Business.
Ads, Coupons, and “50% Off Everything” Without the Gotchas
Social ads and coupon sites are a mixed bag. It’s not uncommon for fake stores to spin up for the season and disappear in January.
Safer moves:
Check the seller’s domain age, real street address/phone, and third-party reviews.
Be suspicious of gift-card-only payments or wire transfers.
Compare prices with a quick search; extreme discounts are red flags.
Public Wi-Fi and QR Codes: How to Check Out Safely
Holiday pop-ups love QR codes. So do scammers.
Only scan codes posted by the retailer; avoid random flyers or taped-over codes.
For curbside/pickup, use the official app or your order history, not links from unsolicited messages.
Shipping, Returns, and Tracking: Do It the Safe Way
Track packages from within your retailer account or the carrier app (UPS, USPS, FedEx).
For returns, generate labels from your order page—not from emailed links you didn’t request.
For electronics, note serial numbers and keep order screenshots.
Small Business Holiday Wi-Fi, PCI Basics, and SmartBiz
Big shopping days mean packed lobbies, busy POS terminals, and constant Wi-Fi requests. A few tweaks keep sales flowing and scams out of your network.
Do this before the rush:
Segment Wi-Fi: separate Guest, Staff, and POS/IoT networks so card readers never share lanes with customer devices (good for PCI basics).
Prioritize traffic: give POS and VoIP first dibs on bandwidth so lines don’t stall.
Turn on content controls for the guest network to block risky domains.
Update firmware on your router/APs; protect admin logins with MFA.
Add LTE/5G failover so you can keep taking payments if the internet blips.
How SmartBiz helps (you stay the hero)
Pathfinder’s SmartBiz bundles the pieces that matter on Black Friday/Cyber Monday:
Managed business Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi segmentation (Guest/Staff/POS)
Traffic shaping/QoS to prioritize POS and voice
Optional content filtering on guest Wi-Fi
Monitoring & alerts so you know before customers do
LTE failover options to keep transactions moving
Holiday Shopping Safety Checklist
Pathfinder’s SmartBiz bundles the pieces that matter on Black Friday/Cyber Monday:
MFA on retailer, bank, and email accounts
Shop in retailer apps or direct sites (no link-hopping)
Credit/virtual cards + purchase alerts
Hotspot or trusted home Wi-Fi for checkout
Updates on phone/laptop/browser before the sales start
Enjoy the hunt, keep the deals, skip the drama. And if you want a network that doesn’t flake out mid-checkout, we’re right here in your neighborhood.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday FAQ
Is public Wi-Fi safe for Black Friday shopping?
Best to avoid it for checkout. Use your phone’s hotspot or wait until you’re on a trusted network.
Should I use a debit card or credit card online?
Credit or virtual cards. You get stronger fraud protections and avoid direct hits to your bank balance.
How do I tell if a retailer site is fake?
Look for HTTPS, correct spelling, a real address/phone, third-party reviews, and sane prices. When unsure, type the domain yourself.
What are the most common Black Friday scams?
Fake delivery texts, “order problem” emails, bogus coupon sites, and spoofed retailer logins.
How can small businesses keep POS running during outages?
Use LTE/5G failover, traffic prioritization for POS, and managed, segmented Wi-Fi so guest traffic never touches your business systems. Pathfinder’s SmartBiz can set this up and support it.