Based on historical data and recent online chatter, Cyveillance predicts cyber criminals will launch highly sophisticated phishing attacks, taking advantage of unsuspecting consumers looking for holiday shopping deals along with small businesses and credit unions which may not have around the clock security teams to manage these threats.

Last year, Cyveillance identified a 300 percent increase in phishing attacks on Thanksgiving Day alone. With current economic downturn and phishing attacks peaking at over 13,200 during recent months, Cyveillance analysts expect phishing attacks over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend to hit record highs.

"Cyber criminals are as bold as ever when it comes to phishing attacks and this Thanksgiving weekend, we expect it will be no different," said Panos Anastassiadis, CEO of Cyveillance. "Often regional banks, small online retailers and credit unions don't have the resources to employ a 24/7 security team during long holiday weekends. As a result, fraudsters often take advantage of this gap in security to launch attacks at susceptible targets. Organizations and consumers must be wary of these attacks, and remember that if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is."