The ultimate Black Friday deals you can't afford to miss (and that are STILL available)

The ultimate Black Friday deals you can't afford to miss (and that are STILL available)

A whistle-stop tour of the best Black Friday deals in 2024, as well as important advice to stay when shopping online during the blockbuster sales event

GB News
Aaron Brown

By Aaron Brown


Published: 30/11/2024

- 17:55

Updated: 30/11/2024

- 17:55

All products and promotions are independently selected by our experts. To help us provide free impartial advice, we will earn an affiliate commission if you buy something. Click here to learn more

Most Black Friday discounts will end at 11.59pm on December 2nd

Looking for the best Black Friday deals? With thousands of retailers taking part in the blockbuster sales — and millions of products discounted on shelves worldwide — there are a lot of price cuts to sort through. Luckily, we've done the hard work and trawled the sales for you.

With millions of discounts, it's unsurprising that not every single one of these Black Friday deals is worth your time.


In fact, consumer group Which? did a deep-dive into the Black Friday sale from 2022, and found that 98% of discounts were not at their lowest-ever price.

With such a small number of products and subscriptions at a record-low price, you need to be really careful when adding anything to your shopping basket. But there are genuine discounts out there — if you know where to look.

Whether you're looking to stock-up on Christmas presents, reduce your monthly expenditure on broadband and phone bills, or simply want to treat yourself to something new – Black Friday can be a great time to buy.

We've done the hard graft for you, sorting through thousands of Black Friday deals to find the ultimate savings. Scroll down for our pick of the Black Friday sales that are genuinely worth your time.

Best Black Friday Deals

With a dizzying number of deals available, it can be tough to find the genuine discounts. Whether you're looking to treat yourself to a new gadget, cut your monthly phone and broadband bills, or stock-up on Christmas presents without paying full price for anything ...we've rounded up all of the Black Friday deals you can't afford to miss. Unless stated otherwise, the price cuts below all end at 11.59pm on December 2nd.

Cut your broadband bills

Pay £0 for full-fibre broadband and Disney+ until February 2025 with Virgin Media 

While there's no shortage of broadband price cuts this Black Friday, but Virgin Media has taken things a step further and removed the price altogether! If your home is one of the 16 million connected to Virgin Media's broadband network, you can enjoy free broadband for 3 months. Sign up now — and pay nothing until February 2025. Virgin Media will also bundle a Disney+ subscription for 3 months — worth £26.97. Plans start from £25.99 for 264Mbps speeds (that's 3.8x faster than the average UK household broadband speed)

Virgin Media
$25.99 $0

Plusnet unleashes affordable full-fibre broadband deal this Black Friday

If your home isn't one of the 16 million connected to Virgin Media's network, scuppering your chances of taking advantage of its £0 broadband offer this Black Friday — don't worry. Plusnet has cut prices across its full-fibre deals. Plusnet relies on Openreach, which is available in 99% of properties in the UK. If you can connect with BT, Sky Broadband, or TalkTalk... then you'll be able to switch to this deal. Plusnet has dropped its Full Fibre 145 plan to £25.99 and also waived its £20 set-up fee. At 145Mbps, you'll enjoy 2x faster downloads than the UK average

Full Fibre 145
$43.20 $25.99

EE will pay up to £300 in early termination fees to help you leave your current contract today

If you're not quite at the end of your current broadband contract, but can't bear the thought of missing out on the latest Black Friday deals, EE will pay £300 towards any early leaving charges. These termination fees apply when you're within the minimum contract term and let you sign-up for any of the Black Friday offers available from EE, including Full Fibre 150 Essentials plan, which costs £1 less than its Full Fibre 50 Essentialsdespite boasting 3x faster download speeds!

EE 150 Full-Fibre
$44.99 $29.99

Supercharge to ultra-fast broadband for under £30 with hidden Sky Broadband deal 

Sshhhhh, this Black Friday deal isn't actually visible when you visit the online Sky Store, but we've managed to secure a further discount on the Full Fibre 500 broadband deal. Usually £46 per month, Sky Broadband has cut the monthly cost to £33 on its website — but using GB News' link, you can drop that even further to £29. That heavily-discounted price will be locked-in for the duration of your 24-month contract, saving you £400

Full Fibre 500
$46 $29

Unlock FREE Apple TV 4K and Apple TV+ in Vodafone's Black Friday giveaway

Upgrade to Vodafone's Xtra Broadband bundle, and you'll take delivery of an Apple TV 4K (worth £149) with a three-month subscription to Apple TV+ for free, so you can stream the latest Apple Original movies and shows in 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos. You'll also benefit from calls to UK landlines and mobile numbers anytime of the day at no extra cost. With no set-up fee, you can switch to Vodafone broadband now

Vodafone Full Fibre 150
$29 $25

Upgrade to a brand-new TV

Save 49% on Fire TV 43-inch Omni QLED television, but beware restrictions on this Amazon deal 

Amazon has slashed prices across its Fire TV-powered Smart TVs — but it's the 43" Fire TV Omni QLED model that enjoys the biggest savings. It's almost 50% off this Black Friday sale. That's a colossal saving on a flatscreen that was the top-of-the-line Fire TV that Amazon sold until a few days ago. This deal is so good that Amazon is limiting shoppers to 1x Fire TV Omni QLED television at checkout

Fire TV Omni QLED
$549.99 $279.99

LG's 60-inch Smart 4K TV drops to record-low price at Argos

If you want to watch some big screen entertainment, this 60-inch 4K Smart TV is a brilliant buy. At £379 in Argos' Black Friday sale, this is an incredible deal for such a mammoth screen. As you'd expect from a Smart TV, must-have apps like Freeview Play, NOW, Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ are all preinstalled. Plus, you can use voice commands with Google Assistant and Alexa to control your TV when you inevitably misplace the remote control

LG 60" UQ81 4K TV
$449 $379

Upgrade to a brand-new 50-inch 4K Smart TV from Hisense with Freely built-in

This all-new Ultra HD flatscreen, released by Hisense — the second-biggest telly brand worldwide — earlier this year, arrives with support for Freely. This new streaming TV platform was built by the team behind Freesat and Freeview and lets you restart any live programme with the tap of a button and integrates on-demand shows and films from BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and more

Hisense 50" 4K TV
$499 $279

Upgrade for something new to watch

Sky TV + Netflix plummet to the lowest-ever price

Sky Stream has never been this cheap. For its latest Black Friday deals, the newest addition to the Sky TV lineup has been slashed to just £19 a month. That equates to a total saving of £216 over the course of a two-year contract compared to the standard £28 subscription fee. This diddy plug-and-play box arrives with 100 channels not available on Freeview, hours of boxsets from HBO, Peacock, and Sky Originals, and a complete Netflix subscription. Unlike Sky Q, High Definition is included as standard too!

Sky Stream
$28 $19

Cut the adverts from your favourite ITV shows for £2

Upgrade to ITVX Premium for just £2 this Black Friday. Usually £5.99 per month, this paid-for tier unlocks 100s of blockbuster films and shows, removes all ad breaks from on-demand and catch-up, and offers exclusive shows and iconic British boxsets from BritBox. The £2 price crash only lasts for two months, so you'll need to cancel before then to avoid paying full price

ITVX Premium
$5.99 $2

Add NOW TV, Netflix, and Discovery+ to your BT broadband for £14

If you have BT or EE broadband at-home, you can add EE TV for just £14 a month. EE bundles dozens of Freeview channels, wiith a Netflix Standard with Adverts (£4.99), NOW Entertainment (£9.99), and Discovery Basic (£3.99) subscription, so you can stream exclusive series from Sky Atlantic, MTV, Sky Comedy, Netflix, Discovery Channel, Eurosport, TLC, and Quest, to name a few. EE TV lets you pause and rewind live telly. If you're not an existing broadband subscriber, you can still sign-up ...but you'll need to couple it with an internet connection

EE TV

Even the GB News Shop is taking part in Black Friday

Save 25% off everything in the GBN Shop in biggest-ever Black Friday sale

Use Black Friday discount code BLACKFRIDAY25 at checkout to cut 25% off everything in the GBN Shop. Orders over £60 unlock free UK delivery for even bigger savings. GBN Shop is the only place to treat yourself to many of the products seen on-air every day, including the iconic GB News Studio Mug and durable Presenters Umbrella used by our journalists across the UK. We've also launched a range of clothing, tote bags, caps, and gifts under the new Fearless collection. Did you know? Paid GB News subscribers can unlock even more savings too

GBN Shop

Upgrade your sound — at home and on-the-go

Save £50 on AirPods Pro as noise-cancelling earbuds return to record-low

The second-generation AirPods Pro are the ultimate Bluetooth earbuds that Apple sells, with 2x better noise-cancellation to quash disruptive background sounds, better microphones for hands-free calls, and support for Spatial Audio. Amazon has slashed £50 off these 'buds — returning them to a record-low price tag, but you can also secure the same Black Friday deal from Currys, EE, John Lewis, and Argos

Apple AirPods Pro
$229 $179

Google's rival Pixel Buds A-Series fall below £100

These budget Bluetooth earbuds were already a decent deal at £109, but have now plummeted to a record-low of £79. Not every retailer has decided to price-match this particular deal, so make sure you head to the Google Store and Currys to secure the best-ever price cut

Pixel Buds A-Series
$109 $79

Sonos' most affordable soundbar drops to a record-low price

Sonos Ray was already the most affordable soundbar in Sonos' lineup — and now you can take delivery of one of these impressive speakers for even less. Sonos Ray will bolster your blockbusters and boxset binges, but also lets you wireless beam music, podcasts, and audiobooks from a phone, tablet, or PC. You can save an impressive £130 on the Sonos Ray soundbar from the brand's own store, but Amazon has discounted the speaker even further — cutting the price tag to just £139

Sonos Ray
$279 $139

Get away for less this Black Friday

EasyJet is offering £100 off all package holidays over £800 — and £200 off holidays over £2,000

If you're planning a summer getaway, easyJet is offering £100 off all holidays over £800 — and that discount doubles to £200 for any holidays over £2,000. It's the ideal opportunity to book yourself a well-earned break

EasyJet
$800 $700

3 nights for the price of 2 on city breaks with British Airways

If you let British Airways handle your next package holiday, the flag carrier will offer three nights away for the price of two this Black Friday. That deal applies to European destinations, includin Budapest and Prague

BA Package Holidays

TUI discounts £100 off package holidays over £1,000 — and a maximum of £300 off holidays over £3,500

If you're dreaming of escaping the cold winter weather, TUI will discount all package holidays by £100 when you spend over £1,000, that doubles to £200 off with any TUI package deals over £2,000, and maxes out with £300 off all TUI holidays over £3,500

TUI Package Deals
$1,000 $900

Cathay Pacific is offering 8% off Business Class flights for solo travellers

If you're planning a trip abroad on your own, look no further than Cathay Pacific. For a limited time, it's offering 8% off its Business Class, 5% off Premium Economy, and a whopping 12% off all Economy flights for all solo travellers. Just use discount codeUKBF24SOLO at checkout to unlock the discount

Cathay Pacific

Book £1 train tickets and save 50% on railcards

TrainPal — a lesser-known rival to the likes of Trainline and Virgin Trains Ticketing — will kickstart its Black Friday sale on November 29 for a few short hours. When the sale goes live, you'll be able to secure £1 train tickets on popular journeys like Coventry to Birmingham, and 50% off all railcards. It's also offering 4% off all train journeys nationwide, with savings on international train journeys too

TrainPal Sale
$30 $15

Get paid £20 by Uber when you book a flight this Black Friday

Uber already lets you book taxis, train tickets, and order takeaway meals... and now you can book flights from its one-stop-shop app too. To incentivise anyone looking to book bargain flights this Black Friday, Uber is offering £20 in credit per passenger for every flight you book within its Android or iPhone app. That £20 credit can be spent on a taxi ride from the airport on arrival, train tickets, another flight, or takeaway tonight. This deal is only available in the mobile app

Uber
$20 $0

Clean-up with appliances in the Black Friday sales

Save up to £200 on Dyson vacuum cleaners in the Black Friday sale

While there's no shortage of deals on Dyson products from retailers like Boots and AO.com this Black Friday, the British brand has also unleashed price cuts across its own online store. With a maximum £200 discount on its cordless vacuum cleaners, its award-winning household gadgets now start from £229.99 for the V8 Advanced. But the biggest discount is reserved for the Dyson Gen5detect — the most powerful HEPA filter-equipped cordless vacuum ever built by the brand

Dyson Cordless Vacuums

...Even better Dyson discounts when you shop in the Official Refurbished Store

If you want to save even more on a cordless vacuum, head to the Dyson Renewed Store on eBay. These refurbished models start from as low as £179.99 — a £150 saving. And don't worry, you'll still enjoy the same one-year warranty as the brand-new models from Dyson, since everything has been fixed by its engineers with official parts

Dyson V8 Renewed
$329.99 $179.99

Save £600 on autonomous Roomba j9+ Robot Vacuum and Mop

This top-of-the-line Roomba robot vacuum cleaner and mop from US brand iRobot offers a powerful hands-free clean throughout your home. The diddy droid is equipped with Dirt Detective functionality, which intelligently prioritises the messiest rooms first. The charging base has a reservoir for clean and dirty water, as well as a dust bin that only needs to be emptied every 60 days — so you won't need to worry about this self-steering robot, while it cleans your home on-demand or on a regular schedule, for weeks on end

Roomba j9+
$1,249 $649

Avoid Amazon, save £110 on AirRAM 2 K9 Cordless Pet Vacuum direct from Gtech

Gtech's AirRAM 2 K9 cordless vacuum cleaner — the "K9" refers to the fact this model is designed with enough power to remove any trace of pet hair from carpets — is over £50 off on Amazon in its site-wide Black Friday sale on Amazon in its site-wide Black Friday sale. But you can buy the exact same model with a £100 discount if you shop directly from Gtech's own online store.

Gtech AirRAM 2 K9
$279.99 $169.99

Save money on your mobile phone bills

Slash your monthly phone bill to just £8 with a superb SIM-only offer from SMARTY 

If you're not looking to upgrade to a new phone, pair this superb SIM-only deal with your current iPhone or Android smartphone and unlock 60GB of 5G mobile data every month. That's more than enough to stream Netflix boxsets, podcasts, Spotify, YouTube videos and more away from a Wi-Fi connection. SMARTY usually charges £10 for 40GB data, so this is cheaper and a bigger allowance. SMARTY is owned by Three Mobile and lets you use your calls, texts, and mobile data in 27 European countries at no extra cost

SMARTY SIM-Only Plan
$10 $8

Gte 50% off ultimate SIM-only deal from EE

Switch to EE's all-singing, all-dancing Unlimited Full Works SIM-only dealthis Black Friday to unlock unlimited data, unlimited calls, unlimited text messages + your choice of either Netflix (worth £17.99), TNT Sports (£20), or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (£14.99). Not only that, but you'll be able to take your speedy 5G data connection with you across the EU, United States, Australia, and much more at no extra cost

EE "Full Works" SIM
$48 $24

Get an air fryer for less this Black Friday

Award-winning Ninja air fryer drops to lowest-ever price

The most affordable air fryer that Ninja makes just got even more affordable. While Ninja has slashed £30 off the price tag in its own Black Friday sale, Amazon has gone one step further and reduced the cost to £68.99 — an all-time record price cut for this model. This air fryer boasts four different cooking modes and takes 50% less time than a traditional fan oven, reducing your energy costs

Ninja Air Fryer
$99.99 $68.99

Need more capacity? Instant has slashed the price of its dual-drawer air fryer

If you want to replace your oven entirely and need a bigger capacity in your brand-new air fryer, look no further than this dual-drawer from Instant — the brand behind the phenomenally-successful Instant Pot multi-cookers — with its expansive XXL capacity. If you upgrade in the Black Friday sale, you'll pay 50% less than the RRP

Instant XXL
$199 $99

Black Friday deals for bookworms

Read millions of Kindle books and magazines for under £1 

This is a very easy recommendation — because it's only 99p. Yes, for a limited time, Amazon is offering 3 months of Kindle Unlimited, which is like Netflix for books, for under £1. Cancel anytime during the trial and you'll pay just 99p ...but be able to download and read thousands of bestsellers, non-fiction, travel guides, recipe books, and much more across all of your devices

Kindle Unlimited
$28.47 $0.99

Change to a new mattress for less

Save over £800 on award-winning mattresses from British brand, Simba

Experts recommend changing your mattress every 6 - 8 years. And if while reading that, you're now realising that your bed is probably long overdue an upgrade, the latest sale from British brand Simba offers some serious savings. For Black Friday, you can save 25% off its most popular mattresses — all designed and manufactured in the UK. Simba combines memory foam with thousands of pocket-springs to offer the benefits of both of these techniques

Simba Hybrid Mattresses

Eve is another popular mattress-in-a-box company that sells memory foam and hybrid models online. In the Black Friday sales, it's offering up to 60% off — with prices now starting from as low as £480. If you're unsure about the idea of buying a mattress online, Eve offers a 200-night trial, so you can return it at any point during that period for a full refund

Eve Mattresses

Even more Black Friday you can't afford to miss

Kärcher window vacuum drops to record-low price on Amazon

The premium Kärcher WV 1 handheld window vacuum cleaner is designed to clean windows, mirrors, shower screens, ceramic hobs, and tiles without leaving a streak behind. The rechargeable battery has enough juice for up to 25-minutes of cleaning. Kärcher has included an LED screen to indicate the remaining runtime. Dirty water is collected in a 100ml tank, which can be poured away contact-free. While the Kärcher WV 1 has been included in Amazon sales before, the latest 24% discount is an all-time record

Kärcher WV 1
$44.99 $33.99

Get 4 months access to Surfshark VPN for FREE + 87% off remaining subscription

Installing a VPN is one of the only sure-fire ways to protect your privacy online. These clever applications anonymise everything you do online, keeping your information out-of-reach of hackers, scammers, and trackers online. The award-winning VPN from Surfshark has been slashed by 87% this Black Friday. You can also unlock an extra 4 months free of charge to supercharge the savings. Cancel anytime during the first 30-days and you'll be charged nothing

Surfshark VPN
$11.49 $1.49

Get 6 months FREE + 61% off subscription with ExpressVPN 

Outside of Black Friday, ExpressVPN is one of the pricier VPN subscriptions on the market. But the company has pulled out all of the stops for its latest Black Friday sale — with a generous 61% off subscription fees and 6 months for free. ExpressVPN has won numerous awards for its fast connection speeds and swathe of server locations around the globe.

ExpressVPN
$10.32 $3.98

What Is Black Friday?

Black Friday is an international shopping phenomenon, with thousands of retailers taking part every year in a bid to drum up extra sales ahead of the holidays.

Its origins can be traced back to the United States — and in brick-and-mortar stores, where millions would queue outside ahead of opening to get their hands on so-called "doorbuster" deals that were only available on a single day after the Thanksgiving celebrations.

Black Friday is believed to have started in the mid-20th century, although an exact date is not known.

In fact, the mystery continues, with even the origins of the term "Black Friday" disputed. Many incorrectly believe the name derives from the idea that businesses use the extra revenue from the sales to move from losing money (being "in the red") to turning a profit (or being "in the black"), but this is untrue.

Most historians agree "Black Friday" originated in the 1960s Philadelphia police department. The story goes that the day after Thanksgiving, the city streets would be so congested with shoppers and tourists that police officers had to work extra-long shifts, referring to the day as "Black Friday" due to the chaos it unleashed.

black friday deals and prices shown on shelves inside walmart store

Black Friday deals are advertised inside a Walmart department store in Westbury, New York. The Black Friday sales — now a global shopping phenomenon — originated in the United States, where it follows the Thanksgiving public holiday

REUTERS

What about in the UK? British bargain-hunters were first introduced to the Black Friday phenomenon until 2010, when Amazon decided to import the sales event — already a massive success for its online business in its native United States.

Feverish interest caused Amazon UK to struggle with demand, with discounted products selling out in minutes and the website struggling to stay online due to the vast number of visitors.

That colossal level of interest from British shoppers sealed the fate of Black Friday in the UK.

In 2015, Argos' website when offline due to a colossal number of bargain-hunters trying to check the website at 00.01am on Black Friday. The store wouldn't reveal any of its deals ahead of time, teasing its Black Friday event and setting everything live simultaneously as the clock struck midnight on the day.

The rise of online shopping not only brought Black Friday to UK shores, and many other countries around the world, but it's also added a sister sale to the calendar. With virtual shopping baskets replacing physical ones, Cyber Monday was kickstarted by online retailers as a digital-only sale that followed Black Friday.

Originally intended as a distinct sale, with Black Friday specialising in its "doorbuster" deals, while Cyber Monday catered to those who wanted to shop on their phone, tablet or computer from the comfort of their own home ...over time, the two sales have merged.

Most Black Friday discounts now run from Friday, throughout the weekend, and until the end of Cyber Monday. And to avoid the sudden influx of demand that brought Argos' website crashing down at midnight almost a decade ago, retailer now regularly extend their Black Friday sales across a two-week period — or longer.

In other words, if you're looking for discounts, you can now shop online or in-person, at almost any point in the final two weeks of November and be sure to get your hands on the Black Friday deal.


When Is Black Friday?

Black Friday always falls in the fourth week of November — and the first friday after the Thanksgiving public holiday in the United States of America, where the sale originated. This time around, Black Friday will fall on November 29, 2024. Here's a breakdown of the recent Black Friday dates:

  • Friday November 29, 2024
  • Friday November 24, 2023
  • Friday November 25, 2022
  • Friday November 26, 2021
  • Friday November 27, 2020
  • Friday November 29, 2019
  • Friday November 23, 2018
  • Friday November 24, 2017

When Do Black Friday Deals End?

Unfortunately, there's no exact date and time when all Black Friday discounts come to an end. It's down to individual retailers to determine when they pull the plug on their Black Friday deals.

As mentioned above, most retailers have decided to merge Black Friday and so-called Cyber Monday into a single four-day sales event. For example, Apple will offer its annual Black Friday deal — which it calls The Apple Store Shopping Event — from 00.01am on Black Friday (November 29) until 11.59pm on Cyber Monday (December 2), so that it covers all bases. Other retailers, like Amazon, kickstarted Black Friday much earlier, with its discounts taking place across an entire week.

Never assume that your chosen discount will stick around until 11.59pm on Monday December 2 ...as you could be left bitterly disappointed. If you're not able to see an end date in the small print on the retailers' website, it's better to add the discounted product to your basket as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Even if a certain discount is scheduled to stick around until the end of the month, it could vanish early if the retailer runs out of stock. That's something we've seen in the past when covering Black Friday sales, so it's definitely something to watch out for.

martin lewis sat in a leather chair talking at an event in london

Martin Lewis — one of the UK's most searched-for British men, and also one of the most trusted — has some easy-to-remember advice about the Black Friday sales

PRESS ASSOCIATION

What Is Martin Lewis' Advice On Black Friday?

Martin Lewis has some very simple advice for those browsing the Black Friday sales.

Each year, the founder of MoneySavingExpert likes to remind shoppers that: "If you were going to buy it anyway and it's half price, you've saved 50%.

"If you weren't going to buy it, but do because it's half price you've wasted 100%."

The broadcaster regularly reminds viewers of this rule of thumb during his Money Show Live on ITV. The telly host has also previously shared the advice on X, formerly Twitter, which you can read below.

One bulletproof way of making sure you stick to Martin Lewis' rule is to write a list of the products you're looking to buy in the Black Friday sale before you load-up a website or head to a high street store. No matter what deals you spot, stick with only the items on the list and you're sure to avoid overspending.

​Black Friday Scams, And How To Avoid Them

With the increased shopping activity around Black Friday, it's perhaps no surprise that cybercriminals also use the sales event to double-down on their scams.

Barclays has issued an urgent warning as its research revealed a 22% increase in money lost due to scams throughout the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales last year. Barclays' data shows that shoppers lost an average of £970 on purchases that never arrived or weren't as advertised.

Speaking about the research, Dr Peter Brooks, Chief Behavioural Scientist at Barclays, said: "People act differently under pressure, and scammers will take advantage of the way shoppers behave during Black Friday sales. Sales are typically all about speed, and scammers will play on people’s emotions to instil a sense of time pressure or create a perceived scarcity for an item.

"They will also bank on people not doing the appropriate due diligence before making a purchase, and getting swept up in the rush and excitement of Black Friday. Never feel pressured into making a purchase, and if something doesn't feel right, take a step back and ask someone you trust – a family member, friend, or your bank – for advice."

To help you enjoy the Black Friday sales without the risk of losing any money, we've put together some useful tips to make sure you avoid the most common scams.

1. Avoid Suspicious Links

These could be links sent in an email, text message, or online advert – if it doesn’t seem legitimate, don’t click it.

If you want to check the legitimacy of a text or email, clicking on the contact information of the sender can be useful. If the email address or phone number doesn't seem to match up with that of the company they're associating themselves with, it's likely fake.

2. Steer Clear Of Browser Extensions

During the busiest sales periods, you'll start to see a slew of "money-saving" browser extensions advertising themselves as a way to unlock the best discounts. Some of these browser extensions are legitimate, but others have been developed by scammers as a way of phishing data.

Most legitimate Black Friday discounts can be found direct on the retailers' website, with no need for standalone software installed in your web browser. If you do opt to install extensions, make sure to do your research – inputting the name of the extension in sites like TrustPilot to determine whether it's a legitimate source of buying advice.

3. Beware Bogus Gift Cards and Vouchers

Be wary of unsolicited emails or posts on social media offering incredible Black Friday deals via gift cards or vouchers. Scammers promise massive discounts not available anywhere else in exchange for personal information or payment.

But these too-good-to-be-true discounts are usually scams to siphon your personal data or payment information. Instead, stick with well-known retailers and their official channels for any gift card purchases. And be wary of tweets or Facebook posts advertising deals that seem suspiciously generous.

4. Watch Out For Unfamiliar Websites

It’s easy to get lost in the excitement of the Black Friday bargain-a-thon, but it’s always important to check where you’re ordering from.

Scammers have been known to host fake websites to sell products for an “amazing” price, when in fact they are using the opportunity to retrieve your data and bank details. These are often designed to mimic legitimate websites.

Always check the URL in the address bar of your web browser to see whether it seems legitimate.

5. Swerve Deals That Seem Too Good To Be True

Some scammers create enticing deals that seem too good to pass up. These can include counterfeit products, nonexistent items, or hidden fees. To avoid falling for these scams, research prices beforehand, be sceptical of deals that seem unrealistically low, and only shop from reputable retailers.

6. Be Wary Of Verification Code Scams

This is a type of scam designed to break the two-factor authentication used to secure your online accounts. Scammers will post as your bank or a company you've recently made a purchase from, claiming that you need to confirm the unique verification code to finalise a purchase.

Hackers who employ this technique will already have your username and password, but will be unable to login to the account without the unique six-digit code sent to your mobile number to verify your identity.

If you send that code to them, they'll be able to access more of your data and potentially lock you out of your online account.

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