Black Friday bargain-hunters are 'prime pickings' for cyber criminals, warn intelligence chiefs

'Cyber criminals have a field day at this time of year because they know your guard is a little lower as you rush to bag the bargains'

Shoppers have ben (REUTERS)

Shoppers are “prime pickings” for cyber criminals during Black Friday sales, the UK’s intelligence service has warned.

The rush to snap up deals puts bargain-hunters at greater risk of “malicious” threats, said the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

The agency – a wing of the GCHQ intelligence service that deals with online security - has issued advice on how to shop safely.

Shoppers are expected to spend £10.4bn in this year's Black Friday sales, according to retail analysts at Global Data.

“Cyber criminals have a field day at this time of year because they know your guard is a little lower as you rush to bag the bargains,” said Kate Sinnott, the NCSC’s head of public engagement.

She added: “Your inbox is probably full of promotional emails promising the most incredible deals. And when this is the norm, it becomes hard to differentiate real bargains from the dodgy ones.”

Ms Sinnott warned some of the scams were “very sophisticated”.

How to shop safely online

National Cyber Security Centre's tips on avoiding scams

• Install the latest software and app updates
• Secure important accounts with strong passwords
• Turn on two-step authentication 
• Use a password manager
• Be wary of links in emails and texts
• Only fill in the mandatory details of forms
• Close browser 'when things don't feel right'

Security firm RiskIQ warned last week.that criminals were seeking to cash in on the annual shopping bonanza by making fraudulent mobile apps using the brand names of leading retailers.

The fake apps are designed to fool people into sharing their passwords or credit card details in the hope of finding the best Black Friday deals.

NCSC said it had dealt with 557 “cyber incidents” in the past 12 months and 1,167 since the agency was set up two years ago. It said it wanted to people to share its tips on staying safe as part of a national “cyber chat” on Black Friday.

“It’s vital that knowledge is shared,” said Ian Levy, technical director of the agency. “Staying safe online doesn’t require deep technical knowledge, and we want the whole country to know that the NCSC speaks the same language as them. It’s vital that knowledge is shared, and that’s why we’re encouraging everybody to have a cyber chat. With so many of the UK shopping online, we want to see these tips shared from classrooms and scout groups to family dinner tables and old people’s homes.”

Ciaran Martin, chief executive at NCSC, warned business leaders in September that companies needed to be on guard for "elite hackers" targeting customer data.

"It is not speculation and it is not scare-mongering," he said.

Data breaches cost firms an average of £3m, according a report by IBM.