Criminals use the hype around Black Friday to try to steal from online shoppers.

Purchase scams are when someone is tricked into sending money via a bank transfer to buy something – often advertised online or via social media – that doesn’t exist.

The number of purchase scams soared by 29% around Black Friday and Cyber Monday last year, according to analysis by Lloyds Bank.

The bank’s fraud prevention director, Liz Ziegler, said: “When shopping online, the best way stay safe is to buy from a trusted retailer, and always pay by card for the greatest protection. If you’re unable to do those things, that should be a big red flag that you’re about to get scammed.”

You should be wary of fake websites and check the web address belongs to the official brand before you enter any financial or personal information, according to Which?.

Beware of posts from a newly-created social media accounts, or links to a recently-created website. You can use verified domain checkers to confirm when a website was created, Which? said.

It warned against buying at “too good to be true” prices because if something seems too good to be true, it likely is.