- Spencer Coursen's Safety Made Simple – Daily Safety Tip
- Posts
- Cyber Monday Security Brief
Cyber Monday Security Brief
How to Shop Smarter, Safer, and Scam-Free Today
Spencer Coursen
December 01, 2025
“Cyber Monday isn’t the day retailers make the most money—it’s the day scammers do.” — Spencer Coursen
Why This Matters
Cyber Monday isn’t just the biggest online shopping day of the year — it’s also the Super Bowl for cybercriminals.
Fraudsters know three things are true today:
People are moving fast
They’re distracted, clicking quickly, and willing to take risks to grab a deal before it “expires.”Retailers are blasting messages everywhere
Which gives criminals perfect camouflage to slip fake emails, fake ads, and spoofed websites into the mix.Billions of dollars move in a 24-hour window
The sheer volume of transactions means the odds of catching a criminal before they cash out is slim.
In other words, Cyber Monday is the rare moment when the opportunity, motivation, and victim pool all peak at the same time.
⚠️ Real-World Anecdotes of Cyber Monday Exploits
1. The “Redirected Checkout” Scam
Last year, a major retailer reported customers being silently redirected from the real checkout page to a cloned version that looked pixel-perfect.
Everything worked — except the items never arrived.
Criminals installed a malicious script on the retailer’s ad network, intercepting customers only after they’d added items to cart.
Prices were real. Receipts looked legit.
Only the backend was fake.
2. The “Too-Good-To-Be-True” Coupon Hack
A national outdoor-gear brand got hit with a viral 80%-off coupon circulating on Cyber Monday.
It spread across TikTok and Reddit in minutes.
Except it wasn’t a coupon at all — it was a phishing link designed to harvest login credentials.
Tens of thousands of people clicked.
Hundreds had their saved credit cards accessed.
3. The “Order Confirmation Trap”
During Cyber Monday 2023, fake “Your Order Has Shipped!” emails skyrocketed 800%.
People received shipping notices for items they didn’t order — causing curiosity clicks.
One click downloaded a keylogger.
Another redirected to a fake UPS site asking for name, address, and full credit-card number “to confirm delivery.”
Curiosity + urgency = compromise.
Bottom Line
Cyber Monday is engineered to get you moving fast — and speed is the enemy of security. Criminals aren’t hacking systems today as much as they’re hacking human behavior: curiosity, urgency, distraction, and the fear of missing out.
Slow down.
Verify before you click.
Protect your payment info.
A deal is never worth the data you’ll lose, the account you’ll compromise, or the headache you’ll inherit. Shop smart, stay skeptical, and keep your guard up. The safest shopper is the one who knows the difference between a great offer and a great setup.
Live Smart. Stay Safe.
Five Protective Strategies You Can Employ Today:
1. Treat Every Email With Skepticism Today. Every. Single. One.
If it promises a deal, assumes an order, or claims urgency — don’t click.
Go directly to the retailer’s website or app instead.
Remember: Legit companies don’t need you to “verify your details” on the busiest shopping day of the year.
2. Never Buy From a Link on Social Media or in a Text Message
Fake “sponsored” ads and clone sites spike on Cyber Monday.
Instead:
Type the retailer’s address into your browser
Use a bookmark
Or go through the official app
If you must click an ad, assume it may be fake and cross-reference the URL.
3. Use Virtual Credit Cards or One-Time Payment Tokens
These prevent your real card from ever being exposed.Most major banks and apps (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Capital One, Citi) offer:
One-time numbers
Alias cards
Masked cards
If a one-time number is stolen, it’s useless.
4. Update Your Passwords on Retail Sites You Haven’t Used in a While
Cyber Monday spikes attempts at credential-stuffing (criminals testing old leaked passwords).
Fix this instantly:
Use unique passwords for retailers
Turn on two-factor authentication wherever possible
Delete accounts with stores you no longer use
Your old account is often a bigger risk than your new purchase.
5. Check Out as a Guest When Possible
No stored cards.
No stored addresses.
No saved login that can be breached later.
On high-risk days like today, less exposure = less danger.
Disagree with anything? Hit reply—I always read your responses.
Live Smart. Stay Safe.
Did you find this helpful? Why not share it with a friend? You never know when one small shift in awareness could help keep them safe, too.
Were you sent this from a friend? Consider subscribing to learn my tips and tricks to help you protect what matters most.
