Scammers Target Back-to-School Deals, Diverting Shoppers to Fraud Sites

As the back-to-school season intensifies, cybercriminals are exploiting the heightened online shopping activity by deploying sophisticated scams aimed at siphoning funds and personal data from unsuspecting consumers.

According to retail analytics, U.S. households allocate approximately $860 per child on essentials like supplies, apparel, and electronics, creating a lucrative window for threat actors.

These perpetrators engineer deceptive e-commerce sites that mimic legitimate retailers, often promoted via manipulated search engine results, unsolicited emails, and targeted social media campaigns.

Predominantly, these fraudulent platforms fall into two categories: outright non-delivery scams where payments are extracted without fulfillment, enabling subsequent unauthorized transactions with stolen financial credentials, and counterfeit marketplaces peddling substandard imitations that inadvertently fund illicit labor networks.

Fraudulent E-Commerce Platforms

Attackers frequently dangle irresistible discounts on high-demand items such as stationery, backpacks, laptops, and clothing, alongside fabricated giveaways that harvest sensitive information through phishing mechanisms.

According to McAfee report, this seasonal spike in ...