McAfee Research Reveals Surge in Online Shopping Scams during October Festive Shopping Season

• McAfee safeguarded users against suspicious or malicious URLs nearly 24,000 times throughout the festive season.
• Nearly half (45%) of Indian consumers say they or someone they know has fallen victim to a deepfake shopping scam. Of the 56% of these people who lost money to the scam, 46% lost over ₹41,500.
• 78% of Indians are more concerned about online shopping scams this festive season than they were a year ago, particularly due to the rise in deepfake scams.

November 20th 2024: As the vibrant lights of Diwali dim and the festive season concludes, it’s time to reflect on the joyous celebrations and the less cheerful reality of online scams that targeted festive shoppers. This year, McAfee, a global leader in online protection, uncovered a worrying trend: a significant rise in online scams impacting consumers during the festive shopping rush from October 1 through October 28.

McAfee’s Global Festive Shopping Survey found that 66% of Indians plan to do more online shopping this year than last year. Of those people, 68% report finding better discounts and offers online and 60% say online shopping was easier and faster than in-store shopping. However, the convenience and potential discounts associated with online shopping may come at a price. McAfee’s Labs team revealed a significant rise in online scams aimed at festive shoppers in India, marking this season as a prime opportunity for cybercriminals.

• Phishing and Malicious URLs: McAfee’s Labs team analyzed over 800 unsolicited, festive-related emails. The volume of these emails spiked on Fridays and Saturdays, aligning with a trend of increased scam activity at the end of each week – and suggesting that scam-related risks are present throughout the festive season and consumers should stay aware.
• Protection Efforts: The McAfee Labs team also reported protecting customers against 24,000 suspicious or malicious URLs during the festive season. Consumer interactions with these malicious links spiked significantly in the leadup to key events – for example, the days prior to Durga Ashtami and Diwali – pointing to savvy scammers targeting people during peak shopping windows.
• Too Good to be True: Many of these malicious links masqueraded as legitimate shopping sites like Flipkart or Amazon, promoting implausible discounts of up to 99%.

“Diwali is special time of year that many look forward to – from consumers, to retailers, to cybercrooks, said Pratim Mukherjee, Senior Director of Engineering at McAfee. “With AI-powered tools, scammers can now more quickly and easily create incredibly realistic fake celebrity endorsements and near-perfect imitations of trusted brand messages and websites. We’re urging people to stay cautious, think twice about deals that seem too good to be true, and use the best online tools to protect their information.”

Festive Consumer Behavior

The festive season drives a shift in consumer behavior, with many Indians adjusting their shopping habits in response to inflation, the hunt for deals, and increased social media influence. This also leads to increased concerns about scams and cybercrime, shaping festive shopping patterns in India.

• 95% of Indians, in light of inflation, plan to engage in related deal-seeking festive shopping behaviours.

90% said they’d consider starting festive shopping earlier than normal in order to find the best possible deals.

• 41% said they were more likely to jump on a good deal immediately when they see it.

Impact of AI on Festive Scams

McAfee’s Festive Shopping Survey found 74% of Indians believe cybercriminals are more prevalent during the festive season, making the period especially risky and stressful for online shoppers, especially as AI-driven digital scams become increasingly common.

• 84% of Indians are more concerned about deepfakes now than they were a year ago.

• 39% of Indians say they encounter the most fake messages via email, followed by 31% through text and 30% on social media.
• When asked about the types of scam messages they’ve received:
  • 30% mentioned messages about purchases they didn’t make.
  • 37% reported fake missed delivery or delivery problem notifications.
  • 24% saw security alerts from popular e-commerce platforms or notifications regarding account updates.
  • 43% received messages about urgent issues with their credit card or banking account.

Social Media Influence

A significant percentage of Indian shoppers say their purchasing decisions are influenced by social media and celebrity endorsements. Scammers are increasingly exploiting this trend, to deceive consumers.

• Nearly half (47%) of Indians say they or someone they know has purchased or provided payment for something that either came from a celebrity or appeared endorsed by a celebrity, that then turned out to be a scam.
• 31% of Indians are likely to make a purchase from a new retailer found via social media if the deal is appealing.

McAfee’s Tips for Safe Festive Shopping 

To stay safe this season, McAfee recommends consumers: 

Think before you click.  If you receive an email or text message asking you to click on a link, even if it’s a great-sounding deal or indicates it’ll provide useful information such as a package delivery update, it’s best to avoid interacting with the message altogether. Always go directly to the source and interact with reputable companies. 

Use AI to beat AI. From blocking dangerous links in text messages, social media, or web browsers, if clicked, customers across all platforms can take advantage of the AI-driven technology behind McAfee Text Scam Detector to engage with text messages, read emails, and browse the web peacefully and securely.

Detect deepfakes. Look for slight inconsistencies in content. Is there unnatural blinking, odd eye movements, or unusual-looking hands or teeth ? Does the audio not quite match the speaker’s lips or have a distorted quality? 

Invest in holistic online protection like McAfee+. Use products that provide maximum identity, privacy, and device protection. Help keep yourself and your family safe online with protection that detects and protects against suspicious links and sites (even those that promise to bring the latest in celebrity news!), so you can browse online with greater confidence.

For more festive safety tips and details on McAfee’s cybersecurity solutions, visit www.mcafee.com.

Study Methodology

The survey, which focused on the topic of deepfakes, scam messages, and festive shopping, was conducted online in November 2024. 7,128 adults, age 18+, in 7 countries (US, Australia, India, UK, France, Germany, Japan), participated in the study.