ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Surfshark: Global phishing blocks rose 524% from April to September.
- A TikTok Shop phishing scam accounted for nearly one in five blocks.
- The counterfeit shop is still active.
TikTok Shop shoppers, beware: A counterfeit TikTok Shop generated over 320,000 phishing blocks between May and September 2026, or 19% of all global phishing domain blocks during that time, according to a Monday report from VPN provider Surfshark.
As of this month, the domain is still active — a worrisome sign as we approach the Black Friday shopping period.
Surfshark analyzed data from its web content blocker between April and September 2026, including block requests categorized by its tool as phishing, the domains associated with those requests, and the monthly number of devices with its phishing protection enabled globally.
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Even as the number of devices using Surfshark to protect against cyber threats expanded, phishing activity also grew massively: Monthly phishing blocks rose from 104,962 in April to 655,024 in September, a 524% increase.
How to avoid TikTok Shop scams
The counterfeit TikTok Shop’s activity remained high in October: For the first 20 days of the month, it remained the most-blocked phishing domain, according to Surfshark’s data, accounting for 18% of the global phishing blocks during that time. The Surfshark report does not reveal the domain name.
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TikTok Shop offers extensive scam protection instructions, including for phishing links. To protect yourself while shopping, especially during Black Friday when scams can increase, do the following:
- Never enter personal data into a website that isn’t the verified TikTok Shop.
- Look for common signs of phishing, including strange URLs, poor grammar, or formatting errors.
- Check seller ratings, reviews, and cancellation rates before placing an order.
- Check the name of the payment recipient to verify your payment is going to a TikTok Shop seller (and contact TikTok Shop support for verification if you ever question a seller’s legitimacy).
- Don’t click links that redirect you outside TikTok Shop.
- Don’t engage with buyers off-platform or share personal information.
- Remember that TikTok Shop will never ask for sensitive information via third-party sites.
For more, check out 10 signs someone is monitoring or accessing your account and how to remove your personal data from the internet.
