November has become synonymous with online shopping. From Israel's ShoppingIL sales event and China's Singles' Day on November 11 to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, an entire month is filled with deals that supposedly cannot be missed, prices that will never return and countdown timers warning that only 12 minutes and 43 seconds remain before an offer disappears.
And consumers are buying. A lot.
(Photo: Shutterstock, Gorodenkoff)
In November 2025, Israelis spent NIS 49.6 billion ($16 billion) using payment cards, an increase of nearly 12% compared with November of the previous year. Of that total, NIS 29.7 billion came from online transactions and other purchases in which a physical card was not presented. Average daily spending in these transactions reached approximately NIS 991 million, a record.
On Black Friday itself, Israelis spent NIS 989 million in just six hours, between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. At the busiest point, more than 20,000 transactions were recorded per minute.
But as online purchases increase, so does exposure to potential fraud. Consumers visit more websites, encounter unfamiliar stores, click more links, enter payment information more frequently and wait for more packages to arrive. Amid that activity, a fraudulent message or suspicious website can easily appear to be part of the normal shopping experience.
Comparing prices and finding discounts are important parts of managing personal finances, but another question deserves attention before entering credit card details: Who is actually receiving the money? Saving money means more than finding the lowest price. It also means making sure a payment reaches the intended recipient.
The scale of the broader phishing threat illustrates why that distinction matters. According to Israel's National Cyber Directorate, 31,657 phishing infrastructures were handled and blocked in 2025, compared with 4,491 in 2024, an increase of nearly sevenfold.
How urgency makes online scams harder to recognize
A text message about a delivery arrives in the middle of a meeting. A payment notification appears while someone is taking care of the children. An attractive discount pops up while a shopper is rushing somewhere else. The natural instinct is to deal with the message quickly and move on.
That urgency can make phishing attempts more effective. Research examining people's ability to recognize fraudulent messages has found that time pressure reduces their chances of identifying suspicious emails and unsafe links. In one study, participants given 15 seconds to examine an email performed better at recognizing phishing attempts than those given only seven seconds.
The difference was just eight seconds, but those additional moments could determine whether someone clicks immediately or stops to consider where the link actually leads.
That finding is particularly relevant during November's shopping events, when retailers constantly encourage consumers to act quickly. Offers expire at midnight, only three items remain in stock, discount codes are about to become invalid and someone else may supposedly be looking at the same pair of shoes.
Even shoppers who know the warning signs can overlook them when they feel rushed. A message involving money does not necessarily require an immediate response simply because it arrives at an inconvenient moment.
Why even confident shoppers can fall for phishing
Confidence is not always an accurate measure of someone's ability to recognize online fraud. In a study involving 600 participants, researchers asked people to distinguish between phishing messages and legitimate business communications and then rate their confidence in their answers. Their confidence did not reliably predict how accurately they identified the fraudulent messages.
The implication is important: Falling for a scam does not necessarily require being unfamiliar with technology or particularly careless. A convincing message arriving when someone is distracted may be enough.
Traditional advice about looking for spelling mistakes, awkward language and poor formatting is also becoming less reliable. Artificial intelligence now makes it possible to generate polished messages and convincing designs within moments, removing some of the obvious warning signs that previously helped consumers recognize fraud.
Instead of focusing only on whether a message looks authentic, shoppers should consider what it is asking them to do. Does it demand an immediate click? Does it request personal information or credit card details? Does it insist on a quick payment?
When a message creates pressure to take one of those actions, that is a reason to stop and examine it more carefully.
The fake delivery message that catches shoppers off guard
Fraudulent delivery notifications are among the most common forms of text-message scams, and they can be particularly persuasive during a month when many people are genuinely expecting packages.
Scammers do not necessarily need to know whether someone has ordered anything. During November, there is a reasonable chance that the recipient really does have a package on the way. That makes a message about a missing address, a failed delivery or a small outstanding payment seem plausible.
Raneen MordeAccording to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing $470 million in 2024 to scams that began with text messages. Fake package delivery notifications were the most frequently reported type of text-message scam.
The messages often use familiar explanations: "We couldn't deliver your package," "Your address details are incomplete," or "A small payment is required to release your shipment."
The safest response is not to investigate the supposed problem through the link included in the message. Instead, consumers should independently open the website or app where they placed the order and check the delivery status there.
Six checks to make before and after shopping online
Consumers can spend considerable time searching for the best price, only to reach checkout and complete the payment almost automatically. That final stage deserves just as much attention as the search for discounts. The key is to check not only the amount being charged, but also the identity of the seller and the information being requested.
1. Check the website address. If you reached a store through a link, examine its web address carefully. When shopping with a familiar retailer, it is preferable to open the website independently rather than through a message you received.
2. Be cautious of unusually low prices. If an offer appears exceptionally attractive, compare the price elsewhere. A surprisingly cheap deal should prompt additional checks rather than an immediate purchase.
3. Research unfamiliar retailers. Look for information about the business beyond its own website. Check contact details and read reviews from independent sources before deciding whether to trust it.
4. Pay attention during checkout. Examine what personal and payment information the website requests. If it asks for details that do not appear necessary for the transaction, stop and investigate before proceeding.
5. Verify delivery problems independently. If you receive a message claiming something has gone wrong with a shipment, do not automatically click the link. Visit the retailer's website or app directly to check the order.
6. Monitor charges after buying. Review credit card transactions and make sure every charge is familiar. If you notice a transaction you did not authorize, contact your credit card company immediately.
A good deal should not come at the expense of security
November does not need to become a month when consumers are afraid to shop online. Sales events can provide opportunities to compare prices, find discounts and purchase needed products at lower costs.
But protecting personal finances involves more than finding bargains. It also requires checking that payments are being made to legitimate businesses and that sensitive information is not being handed over to someone who should not have it.
Before clicking a link, entering credit card details or paying an unexpected fee to release a package, taking a few additional moments can make a meaningful difference.
The promotion may end in eight minutes. That does not mean every message that arrives now requires a decision now.
- The author is director of the Financial Growth Center at Bank Hapoalim.