Pause before you pay

Clothing, electronics, cosmetics, children’s toys, and trainers top shoppers wish lists. 

Scammers often create fake websites and adverts for trending items, particularly on social media.

Some copy trusted brands and promise big discounts or time limited offers.

The goods may never arrive - or they might be very different from what you expected.

On online marketplaces and auction sites, scammers sometimes use stolen photos to advertise items that don’t exist. They may also ask you to pay outside the site’s secure payment system so they can disappear with your money.

Many scam ads are designed to rush you into acting fast. With shopping scams being the most common type of scam in the UK (UK Finance Half Year Fraud Report 2025), staying scam aware is more important than ever during the busy Black Friday period.