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Don’t Let Scammers Steal Your Holiday Cheer: New Norton Report Reveals Nearly Half of U.S. Consumers Were Targeted by a Scam While Online Shopping

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Norton’s Cyber Safety Sunday Helps Shoppers Stay Safe Ahead of the Peak Holiday Shopping Season

TEMPE, Ariz. and PRAGUE, Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Holiday shopping is in full swing, with over 60% of Americans ready to click “add to cart” for most of their purchases this holiday season. But it’s not just shoppers gearing up – scammers are, too. Nearly half (48%) of U.S. consumers report being targeted by a scam while holiday shopping online, according to the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Holiday. Additionally, more than half (53%) of Americans are worried about Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping scams. Norton, a consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), encourages people to take time on Cyber Safety Sunday, December 1st, to prepare to safely shop online this holiday season and bolster their defenses against cybercriminals and scammers.

‘Tis the Season for Shopping and Scamming

Cyber Safety Sunday is observed the Sunday after Thanksgiving and is a day for shoppers to take proactive steps to prioritize their online safety ahead of shopping Cyber Week deals, booking holiday travel, and more. Nearly half of Americans (48%) will do most of their holiday shopping between Black Friday and Cyber Monday – making it not only the busiest time of the year for shoppers – but also scammers. Thirty percent of Americans say they have been targeted by a scam while holiday shopping online. Of the two fifths (43%) who fell victim, 30% report the scam happened on Black Friday, 11% on Cyber Monday and 30% on Christmas.

“The holidays can be a hectic time, and when we are busy or looking for ways to save money, sometimes we let our guard down,” said Leyla Bilge for Norton. “This Cyber Safety Sunday, we encourage everyone to take a few simple steps that will go a long way to help you stay safe online this season. Stick to sites you trust, stay educated on common scams, update passwords, set fraud alerts and always think twice before sharing your personal information. Give yourself the gift of peace of mind knowing you’re prepared.”

Rising Concerns Over Cyber Grinches

Of the 90% of Americans buying gifts to spread holiday cheer, 60% will be clicking “add to cart” for most of their presents this season. While online shopping is fun and convenient, the rise in online crime has made shoppers feel less merry and more wary about their online safety. In fact, 62% are concerned about becoming victims of cybercrime this season, with 47% specifically worried about falling for a sophisticated holiday shopping scam. A look deeper into Norton’s data reveals concerns rising from last year:

71% of US consumers are concerned about their personal details being compromised, up 8% YoY. 59% are concerned about being scammed by a 3rd party retailer, up 9% YoY. 59% are concerned about AI shopping scams, up 11% YoY. 

Decking the Halls with Discounts

With the costs of many goods on the rise, everyone’s looking to stretch their holiday budgets a little further, resulting in 87% of U.S. online shoppers spending extra time to look for discount codes. However, it is important to be aware of the information you offer to gain access to these deals, as it can lead to significant privacy risks.  When you enter personal details, such as your name, email or payment information to redeem a discount code, that data could fall into the wrong hands if the website is not secure. Some scammers also create fake promotions or clone legitimate retailer websites to trick consumers into submitting their information, which they can then use for identity theft, financial fraud or to sell on the dark web.

Norton discovered that two thirds (67%) of people have taken some action to receive a discount code. Of these deal seekers, 57% signed up for a mailing list, 39% answered a survey and 30% liked a post or posted on social media. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of people were willing to give personal information including their email (91%), phone number (52%) or home address (35%).

It’s no coincidence that while shoppers are keen for discounts, malvertising and adware are the cyber threats that increase the most dramatically during the holiday season. During last year’s holiday shopping season, Gen data reveals a 53% increase in malvertising attacks – malicious ads often seen by consumers when searching for something such as sales. Adware – malicious software often distributed via malvertising – increased by 227% over the same period.

To stay safe, try to find codes directly from the retailer and not third-party providers. Consider using an alternative email address that you don’t typically use for daily, personal life. Products such as Norton AntiTrack can create these emails for you in a single click. Think twice: Is the discount worth potentially compromising your digital safety or identity?

Enlisting AI Holiday Helpers

Both retailers and consumers are using AI tools to help ease the stress of holiday shopping. Nearly a quarter of people (23%) have interacted with an AI chatbot or assistant and 43% have noticed AI-enhanced search results with personal recommendations while shopping.

While 36% of Americans say that AI recommendations are helpful and could enhance their online shopping experience, most shoppers are still resistant to AI. Fifty-seven percent of people say they would abandon their carts if they could only speak with a chatbot rather than a real customer service representative. Only 26% of shoppers trust AI to handle their personal information securely, and 37% who have interacted with an AI chatbot while holiday shopping online report receiving inaccurate information.

Sleighing Suspicious Social Media Ads

Despite general distrust in social media sites, shoppers continue to click on social ads to purchase holiday gifts. Thirty-seven percent of Americans have purchased a holiday gift from a social ad, with these buyers mainly purchasing through Facebook (60%), Instagram (48%) and TikTok (40%).

Clicking on social media ads can expose people to unnecessary risks such as phishing attacks, malware infections and privacy breaches. Fraudulent ads may lead to fake websites that steal personal information or payment details, and some may download harmful or malicious software onto your device. Despite these risks, 20% of people are still willing to click on a social media ad or email claiming to offer a gift—reminding us all that some “holiday deals” belong on the naughty list.

This Cyber Safety Sunday, take control of your Cyber Safety by using AI to spot scams. Norton Genie is an AI-powered app that provides a fast, easy and free way to check if a message, like an email offering a holiday discount, is a scam. Genie can also review social media links and other suspicious web links, such as those that direct people to track deliveries for holiday gifts, offer gift cards or steer people to fake third-party websites and confirm whether the information or offer is malicious.

Visit Norton.com this Cyber Safety Sunday and throughout the holidays to learn how you can prepare for a safe shopping season and find out about the top scams and more holiday shopping insights in the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Holiday.

About the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Holiday 

The study was conducted online within the United States by Dynata on behalf of Gen from August 30th to September 11th, 2024 among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older. Data is weighted where necessary by age, gender and region, to be nationally representative. 

About Norton

Norton is a leader in Cyber Safety, and part of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted consumer brands. Norton empowers millions of individuals and families with award-winning protection for their devices, online privacy, and identity. Norton products and services are certified by independent testing organizations including AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. Norton is a founding member of the Coalition Against Stalkerware. Learn more at https://us.norton.com/.

Malea Lamb-Hall
Gen 
Press@GenDigital.com 

Courtney Rowles
Edelman for Gen
Courtney.Rowles@Edelman.com

 

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Yon Raz-Fridman Joins Intrinsic Labs as Co-Founder and Partner

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April 30, 2026

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Most AI companies are selling software. Intrinsic is deploying AI workers into the core operations of mid-market companies – and just brought in a serial tech entrepreneur to help the firm scale across the Heartland.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Intrinsic Labs today announced that Yon Raz-Fridman has joined the firm as a Co-Founder and Partner.

Raz-Fridman has spent nearly two decades building across software, hardware, and platform businesses. Early in his career, he served as Chief of Staff to the President of Keter Group, a $1 billion-plus global consumer products manufacturer. He went on to co-found Kano, the award-winning educational computing company, and later founded Supersocial, the immersive gaming studio acquired by Super League Enterprises in 2025. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Convergence Council.

He joins Intrinsic at a moment when mid-market companies are moving from AI experimentation to deployment. Intrinsic works with operators in logistics, construction, insurance, manufacturing, and industrial markets to deploy AI workers into the workflows that run the business – increasing throughput, reducing manual work, and expanding capacity without adding headcount.

The firm has built its reputation on practical deployments tied to real operating metrics. In one engagement with a national real estate brokerage, Intrinsic’s AI Accounting Agents reached 97% invoice coding accuracy, automated 90% of the AP workflow, and fully removed FTEs from the review flow.

“Yon understands what it takes to build and scale in the real world,” said Jon Slemp, Managing Partner at Intrinsic Labs. “Our clients aren’t buying flashy agents, they’re buying outcomes and reliable labor. They need agentic systems that take work off their teams, perform reliably, and produce measurable gains in throughput and capacity. That’s what we build.”

As Co-Founder, Raz-Fridman will oversee Intrinsic’s expansion – designing the channel relationships, institutional partnerships, and market positioning that take the firm from a proven Ohio model to the defining AI workforce platform for America’s industrial middle market.

“The companies that win over the next decade will be the ones that figure out how to staff AI into their operations and manage it like a workforce. Intrinsic is doing that work now, inside real businesses, tied to real outputs. The Heartland is exactly the right place to prove this model, and Intrinsic is exactly the right team to do it.” — Yon Raz-Fridman

About Intrinsic Labs LLC
Intrinsic Labs helps mid-market companies deploy AI workers into the workflows that run their business. The firm focuses on logistics, construction, insurance, manufacturing, and industrial markets, where manual work, fragmented systems, and labor constraints create clear opportunities for leverage. Intrinsic works with clients to put AI workers into production, tie them to operating KPIs, and help teams scale output without scaling headcount. https://www.intrinsic-labs.ai/  

About Team Yon LLC
Team Yon LLC is a management company founded by Yon Raz-Fridman that incubates new ventures, provides executive leadership, and makes strategic investments at the intersection of emerging technology and human advancement. Through Team Yon LLC, Raz-Fridman partners with founders and operators across healthcare, AI, and frontier technology – including his role as co-founder and Partner at Intrinsic Labs. https://teamyon.org

Media Contact:hello@intrinsic-labs.ai

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Wipfli to complete CompliancePoint transaction and add associates, expanding capabilities

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April 30, 2026

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MILWAUKEE, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wipfli, a top 25 national advisory and accounting firm, announced today it has entered into an agreement with CompliancePoint Inc., a provider of risk management services focused on information security, data privacy and regulatory compliance. 2 partners and 52 associates will join the firm as a result of the transaction.

Based in Duluth, Georgia, CompliancePoint brings specialization across cybersecurity, privacy and compliance, serving clients across a wide variety of industries. The addition strengthens Wipfli’s risk management offerings and expands its ability to help organizations navigate regulatory scrutiny, evolving cybersecurity threats and complex data protection requirements.

“Organizations today are under more pressure than ever to protect sensitive information and operate responsibly in an evolving regulatory environment,” said Kurt Gresens, CEO at Wipfli Advisory, LLC. “The team at CompliancePoint brings specialized experience and a strong, people-first approach that enhances how we support clients navigating today’s risk landscape.”

CompliancePoint has built its reputation on helping organizations manage risk across the full data lifecycle, with a holistic approach that recognizes how privacy, security and compliance intersect. The combined professional teams from CompliancePoint and Wipfli will deliver expanded, integrated advisory solutions designed to help clients proactively manage risk while supporting long-term growth and operational resilience.

“Wipfli shares our commitment to practical, client-focused solutions and long-term relationships,” said Greg Sparrow, CompliancePoint president. “Together, we’re expanding the resources available to our clients while continuing to deliver the specialized experience and trusted relationships they rely on.”

The addition of the CompliancePoint team also supports Wipfli’s continued investment in talent and innovation. CompliancePoint associates will join a national firm that emphasizes collaboration, professional development and meaningful client impact, while maintaining the specialized focus that has defined their work.

The transaction is expected to become effective on May 1st, 2026

About Wipfli

Wipfli is a leading national advisory and accounting firm with nearly 100 years of experience serving ambitious middle-market organizations. We understand our clients’ unique challenges and help them succeed on their terms through assurance, tax, advisory, outsourcing and technology services. With 3,000+ associates and global alliances, we combine national capabilities with local relationships. Wipfli operates under an alternative practice structure: Wipfli LLP, a licensed CPA firm, provides attest services, while Wipfli Advisory LLC, a non-CPA firm, delivers business advisory and non-attest services. Learn more at wipfli.com or contact Alicia O’Connell at alicia.oconnell@wipfli.com.

Media Contact

Alicia O’Connell
Wipfli
alicia.oconnell@wipfli.com

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Ginkgo Bioworks Announces Date of First Quarter 2026 Results Presentation

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3 hours ago

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April 30, 2026

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Presentation and Q&A session scheduled for post-market on Thursday, May 7, 2026

BOSTON, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DNA, “Ginkgo”) today announced that it plans to host a presentation and Q&A session reviewing business performance for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, on Thursday, May 7, 2026, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The presentation details and webcast link will be available on Ginkgo’s investor relations website at https://investors.ginkgobioworks.com, and a replay will be made available.

To ask a question ahead of the presentation, please submit them to @Ginkgo on X (hashtag #GinkgoResults) or by sending an e-mail to investors@ginkgobioworks.com.

About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone. The company offers autonomous laboratories that replace manual laboratory work with robotics in the lab, greatly improving the productivity of scientists. Ginkgo’s in-house autonomous lab is also available as a “cloud lab” through our Datapoints and Solutions contract research services. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

Ginkgo Bioworks Contacts:

INVESTOR CONTACT:

investors@ginkgobioworks.com 

MEDIA CONTACT:

press@ginkgobioworks.com

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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks

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