It’s officially Black Friday. One of the biggest shopping moment ofs the year. And, while you’re scrolling for savings, scammers are scrolling for you. New figures released just as sales go live reveal that cyber-enabled retail scams are accelerating at an alarming rate. In the past year alone, Australians lost almost $40 million to buying and selling scams. And now, with AI supercharging fraud tactics and peak season shopping volumes spiking, experts warn we’re heading into the most dangerous discount season yet.
According to Adyen’s 2025 Retail Report, fraud losses across Australia have nearly doubled year-on-year, with shoppers losing an average of $1,700 each. That’s not just a blown shopping budget – that’s a weekend getaway, a new laptop, or your entire festive gifting fund gone. And it’s not just young, unsuspecting browsers at risk. Baby boomers experienced a staggering 332% spike in fraud losses, making them the most heavily targeted demographic. Meanwhile, scammers are using AI to make their tricks harder to detect – ditching dodgy spelling and weird phrasing for messages that read like legitimate brand communication. The result? Consumers are falling for it faster. And retailers are struggling to keep up.
The new wave of Black Friday scams
The pressure is on for retailers too. More than a quarter of Australian businesses report losing over $1.3 million to fraud in the past 12 months. And nearly one in three (31%) have already seen fraud attempts increase during peak shopping periods like Black Friday and Christmas. “During peak season, scams are becoming faster, harder to spot, and easier to believe,” explains Hayley Fisher, Country Manager ANZ at Adyen. As shoppers race for bargains and businesses try to keep up with increased demand, the window for catching fraud gets tighter. In short: we’re shopping quicker. Scammers are scamming smarter.
AI is evolving – and so are the scammers
Gone are the days of the ‘Nigerian prince’ email. Today’s scams are AI-authored, convincingly crafted, and sent en masse. They can mimic retailer language, replicate checkout screens, and even generate chatbot-style responses to keep victims engaged longer. As Fisher warns, “AI-generated scams are becoming more scalable, more convincing, and significantly harder to detect.” And the stats back her up: 29% of retailers plan to invest in AI-powered fraud prevention, while nearly one-third expect fraud to rise further across Black Friday and Christmas. Traditional fraud controls often slow the checkout process – leading to abandoned carts – so retailers are looking to tools that stop fraud without adding friction. Solutions like Adyen Uplift use AI to detect unusual activity in real time, allowing genuine customers to breeze through payment while blocking fraudsters silently in the background. “In the past, you’d have extra verification steps that frustrated shoppers,” Fisher says. “Today, retailers can fight AI with AI – keeping transactions seamless and secure.” A multi-layered approach that factors in purchase history, loyalty data and online behaviour can also help retailers catch suspicious activity before it hits their bottom line.
What to watch for while shopping this Black Friday
Before you click Add to Cart, keep these quick checks in mind: be wary of deals that feel too good to be true, look for strange URLs or layouts that don’t quite match a retailer’s usual branding, never pay via direct bank transfer, and double-check brand communication via their verified website or app. Avoid clicking unexpected links in emails or texts – even if they appear legitimate. And if you’re helping older family members shop online this weekend, share this information with them. With baby boomers now the most at-risk group, a two-minute chat could save them thousands.
The bottom line?
This year, Black Friday savings could cost you more than you bargained for. With $1,700 lost per Australian and scammers using AI to outsmart even the savviest shoppers, the safest sale strategy is simple: stay sceptical, shop slowly, and if something feels off, walk away – no matter how good the deal looks. Missing a discount is annoying. Falling victim to Black Friday scams? That’s extremely expensive.
