Fake Black Friday deals 2026: how to spot scams and fake discounts

Yes, fake Black Friday discounts exist, and they are common: in its 2024 investigation into prices and price reductions, France's consumer protection authority, the DGCCRF, reports that a third of the businesses offering reductions had irregularities, with discounts that were exaggerated or did not exist. Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday November 27, followed by Cyber Monday on November 30.

The most effective defence is simple: know a product's real price before the event. Below are the fake-discount tricks to know, the most common scams, the calendar that explains why price watching should start in the autumn, and what to do if you have been caught out. The rules quoted are French and EU rules.

What have French consumer inspections found?

The DGCCRF regularly inspects major sales events. In an article published ahead of Black Friday 2025, it set out the results of its 2024 investigation covering nearly 5,300 establishments and 350 websites:

• a third of the businesses offering price reductions or promotions had irregularities;
• 10% of the businesses inspected received compliance orders or official reports;
• some sites show permanent was-prices, even though a promotion is by nature limited in time;
• a cosmetics retailer received a warning for so-called Black Friday deals shown without dates or a reference price.

Fake discounts are not limited to small sites. In July 2025, the DGCCRF announced a €40 million settlement fine accepted by the company that handles Shein's sales in France. Its investigation, based on price checks between October 2022 and August 2023, found that 57% of the offers checked gave no price reduction at all, 19% a smaller reduction than advertised, and 11% were actually price increases. The case was not specifically about Black Friday, but it shows the mechanism clearly.

The 7 fake-discount tricks of Black Friday

Trick	Legal?	How to beat it
Was-price above the lowest price of the last 30 days	No	Check the price charged over the previous month
Price raised more than 30 days before, then "cut"	Yes, but misleading	Track the price from September-October
Struck-through "RRP" or "typical price"	Yes, if clearly shown as a comparison	Read the wording under the price
Permanent was-price, a "Black Week" that never ends	Questionable	Revisit the page after the event
"Up to -70%" on very few items or tiny stock	Questionable	Check the price of the exact product you want
Countdown timers and false scarcity	No, if the urgency is false	Reload the page later
Deal with no dates and no reference price	No	Treat the offer as unverifiable

The was-price rule, its exceptions and worked examples are covered in our guide to the 30-day rule. For traps that are not specific to Black Friday (bundles, exclusive models, multi-buys), see how to spot a fake discount.

Why do prices go up before Black Friday?

Since May 28, 2022, the was-price of a reduction in France must be the lowest price the seller charged in the 30 days before the reduction (article L112-1-1 of the French Consumer Code, transposing the EU Omnibus directive). A seller wanting to show a spectacular discount on November 27 therefore only benefits from raising the price before that 30-day window opens. For a deal starting November 27, the window opens around October 28; since many deals start earlier, the window moves back accordingly:

Deal starts	30-day window opens around
Friday November 13, 2026	October 14, 2026
Friday November 20, 2026	October 21, 2026
Friday November 27, 2026 (Black Friday)	October 28, 2026

Not every retailer raises prices early, and a price can also rise for legitimate reasons (the end of an earlier deal, higher costs). But the takeaway is clear: to judge a Black Friday deal, you need to know the September and October price. The was-price shown on the day will never tell you.

Black Friday scams: fake sites, dropshipping and fake promo codes

Alongside fake discounts, Black Friday also attracts outright scams.

Dropshipping sites

The seller holds no stock: it passes your order to a supplier, often abroad. The DGCCRF points to several warning signs: a domain name referring to Paris or France, vague or long delivery times (or fast ones that are not met), missing or false contact details, and heavy advertising on social media. A reverse image search often turns up the same product far cheaper on an Asian e-commerce site.

Fake sites and fake messages

• a web address slightly different from the well-known retailer's;
• an abnormally low price on a highly sought-after product;
• payment requested by bank transfer or outside the site;
• a text or email about a "parcel on hold" or an "exclusive offer" with a link: type the retailer's address yourself instead of clicking.

Fake promo codes

A legitimate promo code never asks you to pay or enter card details to "unlock" it. A site that does is not there to save you money.

Fake "everything must go" sales

The DGCCRF notes that sales periods are regulated in France and that phrases such as "everything must go" or "closing down" refer to a clearance sale that must be declared to the town hall. Some operators misuse them to create a sense of urgency.

How to check a Black Friday deal in 2 minutes

1. The seller: the retailer itself or a third-party marketplace seller? Are legal notices and contact details shown?
2. The exact product: reference, capacity, generation, new or refurbished.
3. The was-price: the 30-day price or an RRP? Is the percentage calculated from the right price?
4. The pre-autumn price: check the price history or your own notes.
5. The price elsewhere: compare at least one other retailer, delivery included.
6. The countdown test: would you buy at this price without the timer?

If step 4 is impossible because you noted nothing down, you are buying blind. That is the most common situation, and exactly what makes early price hikes work.

Caught out: what can you do?

• Online purchase: in the EU you generally have a 14-day withdrawal period, sale or not, with some exceptions (personalised goods, for example).
• Dispute: contact customer service in writing, then the consumer mediator whose details the seller must provide.
• Fake discount or dubious site in France: report it on SignalConso (signal.conso.gouv.fr). The DGCCRF says it relies on these reports to target inspections. Attach dated screenshots.
• Fraudulent payment: contact your bank immediately.

Get ready for Black Friday now

It is mid-September: a good time to list the products you plan to buy at the end of the year and note their current price. The point is not to buy now, but to have a reference point before the period when early price hikes are most useful to a seller. Dates, retailers and how the event unfolds are in our Black Friday 2026 guide, and what comes next in our Cyber Monday 2026 guide.

Logging a dozen prices every week for two months is tedious, and most people give up. UniverTrack does it for you: you paste a product link (Amazon, Cdiscount or another online store), the price is checked automatically, and a dated history builds up from the day you start tracking (on Amazon, past history can also be shown). On Black Friday, you see at once whether the price is lower than in September or simply back to where it was. See also our page on the fake discount detector.

Put it into practice: a Black Friday without fake discounts

1. Paste into UniverTrack, today, the link of each product you are eyeing for the end of the year.
2. Set a target price for each one, based on the price seen this autumn.
3. Get an email alert when the price hits your target, before, during or after Black Friday, then buy.

For Black Friday, the Malin plan (€6.99/month) fits best: up to 50 tracked products, fake-discount detection and an AI shopping assistant to help you decide. If you only have one purchase in mind, the Découverte plan is enough; to compare the same product across several retailers, look at the Pro plan. All plans are on the pricing page and start with a 14-day free trial, no commitment.