Think twice about shopping through social media. As it turns out, social media platforms can be a "cesspool of Black Friday scams," said the Times. Instead, opt to go straight to legitimate websites, or at least do some research before hitting purchase via Instagram.

A legitimate retail website will have several pages of legalese, often starting with a pop-up about its cookie policy or privacy policy. You should certainly expect to see a detailed document spelling out shipping policies, return and refund policies, and similar details. If those are missing or brief and vapid, it’s probably a fake site.

According to the National Retail Federation, 57% of people are heading to the web to buy gifts. Norton created a cyber safety checklist ahead of Cyber Monday, which shoppers should look over it before Monday.