Over the past few seasons, online fraud has shifted from those painfully obvious “You won a free iPad!” pop-ups to something much more polished. Today’s Black Friday scams look legitimate, feel trustworthy and move incredibly fast. And that’s exactly why they work.
What follows is one of the most common and effective patterns we’re seeing: fake brand giveaways designed to quietly steal your personal data and credit card information.
This isn’t a fringe issue. Fake ads and malicious redirects target tens of millions of shoppers every holiday season, and the operations behind them are now running at industrial scale.
The setup: scammers piggyback on real ads
It often starts with a perfectly normal moment.
You click a product review. You scroll past a banner ad. You tap something on your phone without thinking twice.
Behind the scenes, a malicious ad triggers a silent redirect chain. You don’t see anything unusual. The page flickers and suddenly you’re looking at what seems like an official “Customer Appreciation Survey” from a familiar brand.
That split second is all the scammers need.
The bait: fake surveys from recognizable brands
The fake pages almost always follow the same formula. Scammers reuse a single design template and swap in whatever brand is trending that week.
Common impersonations include:
- Big retailers
- Lifestyle brands
- Outdoor gear companies
- Popular toy makers
- Health and wellness brands
- Electronics and home tool brands
The branding looks clean and professionally done. Logos are high-resolution. The page copy is simple and friendly. The background images look like real product photos.
It doesn’t feel sketchy. It feels routine.
The hook: “Complete this quick survey for your reward!”
The survey is intentionally harmless. Four or five generic questions:
- How often do you shop with us?
- Are you satisfied with our service?
- Would you recommend us to a friend?
Your answers don’t matter. The goal is to create micro-commitment. If you’ve answered the questions, you’re more likely to continue to the next step.
At the end of the survey, you’re told:
- You’ve won a reward
- Only a few items are left