You better watch out! 3 holiday scams to be aware of

Date:
Wed, 24 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
'Tis the season (to be cyber-savvy)!

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While were looking forward to spending quality time with the family and tucking into some good food this Christmas, cybercriminals arent taking the holidays off. For them, its a massive opportunity to take advantage of the surge in online shopping activity during those last-minute rushes to get the perfect gift.

According to McAfee's 2024 Global Holiday Shopping Scams Study , Black Friday-themed emails alone saw a 495% increase from October to early
November. Christmas-related emails rose by 314% during that same period.

In fact, 3 in 5 Americans are on high alert this year for holiday scams due
to the surge in AI-powered attacks, and 78% believe cybercriminal activity intensifies during the festive season.

So, we're going to help you pinpoint the top scams criminals are running during this holiday season, and how you can keep yourself, and the family, cyber-secure.

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All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. View Deal 1. Festive phishing scams

Scammers are constantly thinking ahead and trying to leverage current news or events. At Christmas, that means impersonating services youre likely to come into contact with through email and texts. Think notifications about flash sales, limited-time deals, and delivery updates for packages youre eagerly awaiting.

These messages are designed to look as legitimate as possible so that you
wont suspect youre actually clicking a malicious link. Once youve opened the link, youll usually be prompted to provide personal or financial information to learn more, which is then sent to bad actors.

As well as using offers to entice unsuspecting shoppers, criminals using phishing scams rely on fear to prompt you into immediate action. This often takes the form of fake security alerts warning you about unauthorized access to one of your accounts. However, during the Christmas season, its common to see messages claiming theres an issue with your delivery or payment for a
gift that demands urgent attention.

Then theres the AI problem. Convincing scam messages can now be generated extremely quickly using AI models, meaning that its easier than ever for scammers to scale up massive campaigns for email and text fraud that look indistinguishable from the real thing.

Research from Norton suggests that enticing scam messages work. 47% of their respondents said that theyre willing to share personal information if it
means they will receive a discount while shopping.

Always verify the sender of any suspicious texts or deals that seem too good to be true. If youre even a little bit wary, dont hand your info over. 2.
Fake shopping sites

Doing your Christmas shopping online can save some huge headaches during the last-minute rush, but scammers are very aware of shifting consumer
preferences away from in-person retail shopping.

They create fake shopping sites similar to existing retailers, which can look incredibly similar to the real thing, so you'll hand over your payment details. Its often hard to tell that these sites are malicious unless you
know what youre looking for.

If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

So, to keep shoppers from questioning the authenticity of their fake sites, scammers will typically advertise limited-time deals and massive discounts to create a sense of urgency.

When youre hunting for that perfect gift at a great price, and youre running out of time, these offers can be hard to resist. However, once youve handed over your payment details and personal information, its likely your gift will never arrive. Unfortunately, thats only the start of your troubles.

To protect yourself, look closely at the URL of the site and see whether
there are any misspellings you wouldnt expect. Its worth doing a quick Google to see if youre actually on the correct site. You should also see whether or not theyre using HTTPS for site security, as well as whether theres any dubious AI-generated imagery in place. If a deal seems too good to be true,
it probably is. 3. Charitable charlatans

Scammers will stoop pretty low to run a successful scam. In the festive season, were often reminded of those less fortunate than us and more inclined to donate to charity. Scammers know this, and theyre definitely not above pretending to be a charity to make a quick buck.

AARPs 2025 data tells us that more than half of its respondents (57%)
donated money to charity in the last year. More than one-third of those asked (35%) say they received a donation request in the last 12 months that could
be a scam. Despite this, 59% of respondents say they dont always research an organization before donating.

To take advantage of the inclination to donate to charity, bad actors create fake charity websites that closely mimic legitimate organizations. This
allows them to bank on the trust the public has in certain charities while making off with the donations themselves in the process.

To donate legitimately and ensure your money goes to those who really need
it, go directly to a charitys official website rather than using links from emails, texts, or social media posts. (Image credit: Getty Images) How to
stay safe this Christmas

With cyber threats ramping up during the festive period, its worth taking a moment to read up on how to protect yourself and your loved ones against scams. Heres some practical steps you can take: Be wary of links in your
email inbox: If a deal or alert seems suspicious, get in touch with the retailer directly through their official website instead of clicking a link youve received. Dont trust delivery texts without verification: Scammers love to imitate delivery services. Always check your tracking information on the couriers official website and dont send any personal details through links
you receive. Enable two-factor authentication: Use 2FA wherever its available to add an extra layer of security to your accounts. Even if a hacker does end up with your password, they wont be able to log in without permission from your 2FA device. Use a VPN while shopping and browsing: A VPN encrypts your connection and can help protect your data, too. NordVPNs Threat Protection
Pro can detect fake phishing sites in real time. Theres also Surfsharks Alternative ID feature , which lets you create disposable email addresses and personal details for shopping with those sites that youre not quite sure you can trust.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-services/you-better-watch-out-3-holiday-scam s-to-be-aware-of


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