Safe holiday shopping: How a VPN protects your privacy on any Wi-Fi
by Kate Hernandez | November 24, 2025 | Threat Lab
Reading Time: 4 mins
The holiday shopping rush is prime time for cybercriminals. As retailers roll out Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, scammers push out look-alike stores, fake tracking notices, malicious ads, and rigged Wi-Fi networks designed to steal financial data.
During the 2024 holiday season, holiday digital fraud attempts spiked 4.4% of all online transactions, about 15-30% higher than for the rest of the year. And with more people shopping on the go, your exposure increases in ways most people don’t realize. A VPN can help—but only if you understand what it really protects.
Why risk increases in November
Holiday shopping means rushed decisions, heavy advertising, and more browsing across emails, texts, Wi-Fi networks, and social media. Scammers take full advantage:
- Phishing spikes. Cyberint reported a 46 % rise in phishing alerts during the holiday season compared with the annual average.
- Fake stores multiply. Fake stores spiked by 110% in 2024 with AI making them look more convincing than ever.
- Mobile shopping increases risks. Adobe Analytics reports 53% of 2024 holiday purchases involved mobile devices, which often happen over public or semi-public Wi-Fi.
- Fraud attempts surge. Fake delivery texts, counterfeit product ads, and bogus social offers become far more common in November and December.
What this means for you: Scammers know you're shopping quickly and across multiple devices, making you an easier target.
What a VPN does for shoppers
A VPN, such as Webroot VPN, protects your most sensitive shopping activity—your passwords, payment info, and browsing data—by encrypting your connection.
It encrypts payment info and login data
Your passwords, credit card numbers, and checkout details are scrambled before they leave your device. Even if someone intercepts your traffic, all they see is unreadable code.
It masks your IP address and location
Advertisers, retailers, and malicious actors often use IP data to profile shoppers. A VPN hides your IP, making it harder for scammers to tailor fake “local” deals or phishing pages.
It protects your connection on public or untrusted Wi-Fi
Airports, hotels, and cafés often run open or outdated networks. A VPN keeps your browsing private—even if you're on a compromised hotspot.
What you should know: A VPN shields your most valuable information at the exact moments’ scammers target it—giving you a safer, more private checkout experience no matter where you shop.
Shopping while traveling: airports, cafés and hotels
Travel exposes you to the highest-risk networks, where attackers commonly attempt snooping or identity theft:
- Airports: Fake “FREE WIFI” networks look legitimate but are designed to capture your data.
- Hotels: Many still use shared, unencrypted networks.
- Coffee shops: Packet sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks are easy to execute.
Did you know: If you shop while traveling, a VPN takes you from “easy target” to “extremely hard to intercept.”
Fake deal sites and trackers: what a VPN helps block
VPNs reduce location-based scam targeting but do not replace antivirus or safe browsing habits.
A VPN protects you from:
- IP-based pricing manipulation
- Location fingerprinting
- Ad-network tracking tied to your identity
But remember—a VPN doesn’t identify fake shopping sites or protect you from buying counterfeit goods.
Two common scams to be on the lookout for:
Look-alike retailer pages that track you.
Scammers often copy the design of sites like Best Buy, Amazon, PayPal or Walmart to create believable fake “flash deal” or sign-in pages. These pages load hidden tracking scripts that capture your IP, device type, and behavior to tailor follow-up phishing emails or “your order is delayed” text scams.
Fake coupons.
Some fake holiday “75% off” coupons embed spyware and other malware on your device . These trackers can steal your personal info directly or collect your location, browsing habits, and shopping preferences, then use that data to target you with scam ads or redirect you to counterfeit storefronts.
What this means for you: A VPN makes you harder to track or profile, but safe browsing still matters.
How hackers exploit unsecured Wi-Fi
Most Wi-Fi-based attacks depend on unencrypted data. A VPN shuts down these methods by encrypting your entire session.
Packet sniffing
Captures raw, unencrypted traffic.
VPN impact: Everything becomes unreadable.
Fake hotspots ("evil twins")
Attackers clone a trusted network name.
VPN impact: Encryption keeps your activity private even on a rogue network.
Malicious QR codes
QRs redirect you to unsafe networks or phishing pages.
VPN impact: Prevents attackers from accessing your session data.
Session hijacking
Steals login tokens from shared networks.
VPN impact: Encrypted connections make token theft extremely difficult.
Tip: A VPN blocks the easiest and most common holiday-travel attack techniques.
Quick shopping safety checklist
- Pair your VPN with smart habits to reduce risk even more:
- Turn on your VPN before every purchase
- Stick to trusted retailers you type manually
- Avoid entering payment info on free Wi-Fi
- Use password managers + MFA
- Keep receipts and turn on bank alerts
- Consider identity monitoring and credit freezes
Myth busting: VPN misconceptions
Most VPN myths are outdated—especially concerns about speed or over-relying on Wi-Fi security.
Myth #1: VPNs slow down checkout.
Modern protocols (like WireGuard and IKEv2) deliver fast, stable connections with minimal impact.
Myth #2: VPNs are only for public Wi-Fi.
ISPs track and sell browsing history at home too—a VPN prevents that.
Myth #3: VPNs stop all fraud.
A VPN protects your connection, not the website. You still need phishing protection and safe browsing habits.
FAQ: What shoppers ask most
Does a VPN protect me from fake holiday shopping sites?
No. It encrypts your traffic but cannot identify whether a site is legitimate. Use antivirus solutions such as Webroot Total Protection with privacy protection and fraud alerts.
Is it safe to check out over hotel or airport Wi-Fi if my VPN is on?
Much safer. A VPN prevents snooping, interception, and session hijacking—though you should still avoid suspicious networks.
Can a VPN stop credit card fraud?
It stops theft of your card data in transit, but it can’t protect you from fraud on a compromised or fake merchant site.
Should I leave my VPN on at home?
Yes. ISPs log your browsing activity, and a VPN prevents that.
Shop smart this season
A VPN is one of the simplest ways to keep your holiday shopping private. It encrypts your data, hides your identity, and stops snoopers from accessing your checkout details—whether you're at home, on the road, or traveling for the holidays.
But the safest approach is layered: strong passwords, MFA, identity monitoring, credit freezes, and good browsing habits.
Protect your connection while you shop — try Webroot Secure VPN before the holiday rush.
