Online shopping scams are on the rise, with scammers using AI to dupe holiday shoppers

From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, we are now in the thick of the holiday shopping season. But as you hunt for deals, scammers are trying to strike.

Experts warn that shoppers should be careful of emails they may get touting super deep discounts, like around 80% to 90% off. Those emails may look like they’re from a legit retailer, but they could be a scam containing links to duped websites.

There’s been a whopping 250% spike in the creation of fake shopping sites, according to data from NordVPN.

Now, the scammers are also using artificial intelligence (AI) to make the duped shopping websites look very legit.

Experts say you always check the URL, and make sure it contains the padlock symbol and starts with “https.”

Also, shoppers should be aware of another scam where criminals send a package right to your own mailbox. It’s usually a very small gift, and it’s unsolicited.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service calls it the “brushing scam.”

The gift is often an imitation diamond, and it comes with a letter saying it’s free, and all you just need to do is register it through a QR code.

“Do not click on that QR code. Do not scan it. Do not provide any personal information,” U.S. Postal Inspector Marjan Barrigan-Husted told ABC7 On Your Side Investigates.

He said the personal information can be used to drain your accounts.

If you do happen to get a ring or any other small item from this type of scam in the mail, the gift is yours.

“You can keep the item if you want,” added Barrigan-Husted

The main takeaway is — as you do your online shopping, just be very wary of any suspicious links or QR codes. A great rule of thumb is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.