5 Types of Holiday Scams to Watch Out For

As the holidays arrive, people take some time off to relax, spend time with family, or go on vacation. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when cybercriminals don’t take breaks.

A 2023 survey of a group of consumers (ages 18 and up) showed a whopping 80% of people were targeted by at least “one form of fraud” commonly occurring during the holidays. Many of the criminals’ victims are adults aged 65 and up.

Being aware of common holiday scams can help you better protect yourself from becoming a victim. The following are five types of holiday scams to watch out for.

1. Shopping Scams

Big sales are hard to pass up during the holidays and scammers count on this fact. Ways they’ll attempt to defraud consumers include:

• Creating social media ads to lead consumers to fake online shops asking to share their personal and credit card information, exposing them to both financial and identity theft fraud.
• Sending emails in the form of an ad that “spoofs” well-known companies to trick people into believing the marketing is from a legitimate company. These scams aim to steal credit card and personal information.
• Building fake websites to mimic legitimate companies or creating entirely fake companies.
• Sending out fake deals via text with a link to make a purchase, but the link goes to a malicious website.

Remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Never click on links in texts, emails, or social media.

2. Delivery Scams

High volumes of packages are sent and received during the holidays. As a result, fraudsters create delivery scams to attempt to trick people who are most likely to send or receive packages.

One common scam is cybercriminals sending out phishing emails or texts from common delivery companies with package “updates”, but the links lead to fake webpages soliciting personal information or forcing malicious downloads.

The second common delivery scam is thieves sending out fake phony delivery notification messages indicating a package delay or it requires a fee before delivery. They then attempt to get their victim to take action to either pay money or give more information.

3. Gift Card Scams

Gift cards are big business during the holidays, so, of course, scammers look to take advantage of consumers. Here are common types of gift card scams:

• Sending out phishing emails or texts pretending to be a family member or colleague asking for help purchasing gift cards. In reality, they’re stealing your money or the gift card numbers.
• Publicizing promotions on social media or email by offering gift cards in exchange for filling out online surveys to steal personal information and commit ID theft.
• Convincing people to click social media posts in exchange for a gift card or other prize, which, in turn, gets people to spread malware to their contacts.
• Stealing gift cards right off the rack at the store by tampering with activation codes and recording gift card numbers (always look for signs of tears, reglued packaging, fake stickers, or other indicators).

It’s best to always buy gift cards directly from trusted vendors and always check the packaging if buying in person.

4. Charity Scams

Thieves try to lure unsuspecting and good-hearted people during the holidays when people are feeling generous. So, they set up fake charities and ask for money via phone, email, text, or social media.

In some cases, fraudsters will set up entirely fake charities with a website and then publicize the link. Alternatively, they might launch a fundraising campaign with a sad story to draw sympathy and get people to open their wallets. Then, the thief walks off with the cash.

5. Travel Scams

Scammers know people seek out good travel deals during the holidays. To exploit this, thieves might set up fake travel websites listing great prices. They also send out fraudulent flight cancelation emails or texts indicating a need to rebook, with a price hike.

Criminals also know people travel during the holidays, so they'll scour social media posts to see who might be traveling so they can steal packages, mail, or break into a home in the victim’s absence.

Consider Prevagen to Promote Healthy Brain Function

Due to the busy, stressful, and, sometimes chaotic, aspects of the winter holiday season, cybercriminals count on exploiting these factors to help them con people out of their money when they’re distracted.

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