Cyber Monday, the closing day of the Black Friday weekend, is now consolidated as one of the most relevant events for e-commerce, with an estimated expenditure of around 4 billion euros in Italy (source Codacons). Parallel to the increase in traffic, the event has transformed into a favorite moment for cybercrime, which has refined its strategies by exploiting Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Industry analyzes indicate that the use of AI in cybercrime has contributed to an estimated 400% increase in attacks, making digital fraud and phishing up to ten times more effective than in the past. In a context of “frantic purchasing” and short attention spans, the effectiveness of social engineering techniques increases exponentially.
AI as an accelerator of the digital threat
Artificial Intelligence allows criminals to enhance traditional fraud schemes, making every detail more believable and almost impossible to recognize. Impeccable texts, graphics identical to the originals and perfectly localized communications have eliminated the signals that once helped identify a scam attempt.
Stefano Odaglia, CISO of HWG Sababa, warned of the accelerating threat: “Artificial Intelligence is an extraordinary accelerator, but it equally amplifies risks and threats. Today, cybercriminals can create perfect phishing emails, quickly generate credible content, and even construct fake digital identities with precision that was unthinkable just a few years ago. This is why, especially in periods of frenetic shopping like Cyber Monday, every anomalous or urgent request must be carefully verified: AI has eliminated many of the signals that once helped us recognize a scam.”
They are emerging increasingly sophisticated fraud formulas, among which the explosion of fake e-commerce stands out. These sites, designed with great care and often enriched with AI-generated reviews, manage to almost perfectly imitate real platforms in the most popular sectors. At the same time, chatbots and artificial digital identities are integrated into daily interactions with users, from assistance services to marketplaces, increasingly blurring the line of separation between human and automated agent.
The Legitimate Potential: Agentic Commerce
Alongside risk amplification, AI is also driving legitimate innovation in online shopping. Digital assistants capable of selecting products, comparing prices and completing orders represent the first step towards agent commerce, an automated purchasing method destined to transform digital commerce. AI is shaping up to be the real protagonist of the e-commerce weekend. Consumers or retailers are no longer the fulcrum of the phenomenon, but Artificial Intelligence, used “actively and passively by users, to arrive first at the price and the object of desire.”