Black Friday 2025: Outsmart AI scams and shop securely in the age of intelligent fraud

As uptake of online shopping continues to pick up speed, criminals have evolved from being opportunists to technologists, weaponising artificial intelligence to automate deception at scale. The result is a new generation of digital threats that blur the line between real and fake, trusted and tampered.

SABRIC reports that digital banking fraud in South Africa escalated by 86% in 2024, driving financial losses up by 74% to R1.888 billion – a stark indicator of the growing sophistication and scale of cybercrime. Over 98 000 incidents were reported, and banking apps accounted for 65% of all cases. The attack surface has expanded far beyond emails and SMSs; today, it includes AI-generated voices, deepfake customer support calls, cloned websites, and synthetic identities built entirely by machines.

The new face of cybercrime

Cybercriminals are no longer isolated hackers; they form sophisticated networks using automation, data analytics, and AI tools that mirror legitimate innovation. Every digital channel that delivers convenience also creates an opportunity for exploitation. The difference now is speed and believability.

One of the fastest-growing threats in South Africa is quishing (QR-code phishing), where fake QR codes redirect users to counterfeit payment pages or malware downloads. Similarly, fraudulent shopping apps are flooding mobile stores, harvesting credit-card details under the guise of massive Black Friday discounts.

AI has enabled this new wave of deception, but it has also armed defenders. Predictive analytics and real-time behavioural monitoring are becoming vital tools in detecting anomalies that human analysts might miss.

2025 and beyond: What’s next in digital fraud

Looking ahead, experts predict that AI-driven impersonation will dominate cybercrime trends through 2026. Deepfakes will move beyond text or voice to live, interactive scams, while synthetic identity theft – the combination of real and fake credentials – will become harder to detect.

The rise of social commerce scams is another growing concern. Fraudsters are embedding fake stores within popular social platforms, using short-form videos and influencer-style content to sell counterfeit products or steal data.

To counter this, financial institutions and cybersecurity firms are investing in adaptive authentication, where systems learn from user behaviour and dynamically adjust verification based on risk signals.

The future of cybersecurity will depend on context. AI will not just detect anomalies; it will interpret intent. The organisations that can align trust, technology, and human insight will be the ones consumers rely on.

How consumers can stay ahead

Awareness remains the most powerful line of defence. This Black Friday, BCX recommends that consumers adopt a few essential habits to shop safely and confidently:

• • Verify before you buy: Stick to official websites and avoid deals shared on social media or messaging apps.
  • Use trusted apps: Download directly from verified app stores; delete apps you no longer use.
  • Think before you scan: Be cautious of unsolicited QR codes on posters, emails, or WhatsApp messages.
  • Monitor your accounts: Activate transaction alerts and review statements regularly.
  • Stay sceptical of “support calls”: Deepfake voices can impersonate bank officials or customer-care teams.

BCX: Building digital trust through AI-driven security

Behind every secure transaction, there’s technology designed to think faster than the threat. BCX’s AI-driven security frameworks use machine learning and behavioural analytics to detect irregular patterns in real time, helping safeguard millions of transactions across South Africa’s digital economy.

Black Friday 2025 may be a high-risk moment for consumers, but it’s also a reminder of the country’s growing digital maturity, where awareness, innovation, and collaboration can outpace fraud.

The question isn’t whether AI will shape the future of cybercrime; it already has. The challenge now is how we use AI to outsmart it.

This Black Friday, let your clicks be clever and your cybersecurity smarter.