Overview
- FBI Phoenix says scammers are intensifying outreach to shoppers, using promotional emails and texts that funnel victims to malicious sites to steal payment and personal data.
- Officials warn that generative AI is making phishing messages and fake retail pages look authentic, urging consumers to pause, verify deals on official apps or websites, and avoid unsolicited links.
- Seasonal threats highlighted include fake package notifications, bogus order confirmations that install malware, social‑media seller schemes, romance cons, and counterfeit charity appeals.
- Beyond record losses, congressional data show brand‑impersonation phishing surged more than 2,000% during last year’s peak shopping period, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams spiking sharply.
- Authorities advise using credit cards, enabling multifactor authentication, researching charities before donating, and reporting suspected fraud to banks, the FTC, or police; Arizona reports a 20% rise in senior fraud filings with nearly $67 million lost.