One in Eight UK Shoppers Fall Victim to Black Friday Scams – Losing £500 on Average
● Over three-quarters (78%) of consumers are worried about being scammed this Black Friday, as one in eight (13%) have already fallen victim
● Amongst those who were scammed, average losses were £504, with 15% losing more than £1,000
● Younger shoppers are more than twice as likely (81%) to have encountered a scam when shopping online, compared to those aged 55 and above (32%)
Over three-quarters (78%) of shoppers are worried about being scammed this Black Friday, as one in eight (13%) have fallen victim, according to new research from TransUnion, a global information and insights company.
With almost 23 millioni consumers expected to shop in this year’s Black Friday sales, many may be more vulnerable to fraud than they realise. One in eight consumers (13%) struggle to differentiate between genuine deals and scams, while nearly one in 10 consumers (9%) say big savings distract them from being vigilant. A smaller but still significant amount (8%) of respondents even admitted that they would be more likely to interact with a scam if it offered a substantial discount, and 6% said the potential risk of fraud would be worth it if they could save a lot of money.
Madhu Kejriwal, CEO of TransUnion in the UK and Europe, said: “As Black Friday deals ramp up, fraudsters are exploiting the rush to secure a bargain. These scams look increasingly legitimate, from fake products to cloned retailer websites. Consumers should take a moment before they pay, check the source, and avoid deals that seem too good to be true.”
Among those who had been scammed during Black Friday sales, 39% admitted they acted too quickly out of fear of missing out on a good deal, while 31% prioritised saving money over avoiding fraud.
After falling victim to a Black Friday scam, two in five (40%) consumers never received the item, while 31% received a different product to the one that they ordered. Almost three in ten (29%) scam victims also had their card details stolen, a quarter had their bank account details (25%) or personal information (24%) compromised, and 19% were victims of identity theft. Overall, these scams led to average losses of £504, with 14% losing more than £1,000.
This week, as ambassadors of International Fraud Awareness week - an annual, global initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the impact of fraud and promoting anti-fraud education TransUnion took to the streets of Leeds City Centre to talk to and help educate members of the public on the dangers of scams.
TransUnion spoke to a woman who highlighted how minor transactions alerted her husband that his bank account had been breached after falling victim to a scam: “[My husband] noticed that small amounts were going out from his bank account to a supermarket – so, it was like 8p then it went up to about 24p. I can’t say that I check my account that carefully, but he does and he recognised that…it wasn’t a supermarket that he shops in…So he rang the bank and in fact they [Fraudsters] were testing to see whether he picked it up.”
Chad Reimers, managing director of fraud & ID at TransUnion in the UK added: “Many consumers are unaware of the dangers of falling victim to a retail scam; over a quarter (27%) of consumers that have fallen victim admitted that they knew their purchase was risky, but did not consider it that big a deal.
“Online scams pose a real threat not only to your current finances, but to your future financial goals as well. Critically, it is not just the potential financial loss, but the compromise of personal or financial information which can result in further risks for consumers. This is why it’s important to remain vigilant to all potential fraud threats and act quickly should you think you’ve fallen victim.”
Gen Z and Millennial shoppers are at greatest risk, with seven in 10 (70%) 18-34-year-olds planning to shop online this year – above the national average of 41%. Yet, younger shoppers are more than twice as likely (81%) to have encountered a scam when shopping online compared to those aged 55 and above (32%).
With over a third (36%) of consumers unaware of the dangers of fraud during Black Friday, TransUnion shares tips to spot and avoid scams:
● Be sceptical of unrealistic discounts – if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is!
● Don’t click on links in unsolicited emails, texts or social posts. Go directly to the retailer’s official website instead. If you have received an email that you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): report@phishing.gov.uk. Likewise, most phone providers are part of an initiative that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726
● Look for “https” and the padlock symbol in your browser before entering payment details. This indicates that it’s secure. You can also report a suspicious website via the National Cyber Security Centre
● Use secure payment methods such as credit cards or PayPal, which offer extra protection
● Set up alerts on your credit report and monitor it regularly to help you quickly identify and report any suspicious activity, or signs of identity theft. You can check your TransUnion credit report for free via Credit Karma, MoneySuperMarket Credit Monitor, or TotallyMoney and a wide variety of banking apps.
To find out more about what TransUnion are doing as ambassadors of International Fraud Awareness week, visit TransUnion’s International Fraud Awareness Week webpage.
Note:
Unless otherwise stated, all figures are from a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults aged 18+. The data was commissioned by TransUnion and conducted in October 2025 by OnePoll.
i The UK adult population is estimated at 55,022,253 according to the ONS. 41% of UK adults plan to shop the Black Friday sales this year, or 22,559,123 adults.
