Don't fall for holiday shopping email scams

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Black Friday is a bonanza for hackers and phishing emails luring you in with a special deal or a refund offer.

George Avetisov, the CEO of HYPR, a cybersecurity company, says now through January 1st is "Christmas for hackers." He says that most of the stolen identities and credit cards are used on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Phishing emails from what appear to be iTunes, PayPal, Nike or Amazon can look exactly like legitimate emails from these companies. But don't be tempted to click on the enticing offer. First, check to see who the email is really from.

Avetisov says if you're not expecting it, don't click it. He says getting a buyer to click on something is easier this time of year.

He also says the sheer volume of online shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday also makes it extremely challenging for retailers to catch fraudulent orders being placed by hackers with someone else's credit or debit card. That is why hackers wait for this time of year to try to get bad orders through.

The holiday season is also fraud season. The best advice from cybersecurity experts is don't click on anything in an email and if you do change your passwords immediately.