Top 10 holiday scams to watch for this Christmas

While the rest of us are gearing up for the summer holidays and time spent with friends and family over the Christmas and New Year’s period, scammers are instead looking to take advantage of our festive cheer.

If you want to stay safe, here are the top 10 holiday scams that security company ESET expects to see in the next couple of weeks.

So read up, stay safe, and share this advice to keep your social circle safe from scammers these holidays.

Gift cards
Scammers often try to sell fake or even stolen gift cards, taking advantage of gift-givers looking for a versatile present. Keep an eye out for gift cards being sent for bargain basement prices from dodgy websites.

Fake websites
Scammers often create websites that mimic popular brands in order to phish their victims for personal or banking details. Watch out for lookalike sites, and always confirm that you’re on an official website before entering your details.

Too-good-to-be-true deals
If a sale price, beware – a scammer may be looking to entice you to purchase an item that doesn’t exist and will never be sent to you. Be aware that these scams often use instant payment apps and are often made on social media marketplaces. Remember, if it actually looks to god to be true, it probably is.

Fake shipping
As consumers rely upon home delivery services for much of their shopping, scammers will often flood victims with fake delivery SMSes and other messages. These fake delivery messages may ask for further postage payments, harvest personal details, or even install malware. Read any shipping message you get carefully to avoid being scammed.

Fraudulent e-cards
Digital greeting cards can be a fun way to share the Christmas cheer, but they can also be used by scammers to spread malware and worse. Be certain that the e-card service you’re using is above board by checking the site’s logos and email formatting.

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Phone/vishing scams
Scammers can use actual, live voice calls to trick their victims out of personal data and banking details, and even fraudulent payments. These cold callers can pretend to be delivery firms, charities, and retailers. Very few of those companies will ever ask for your details over the phone, so be wary of any who do.

Christmas prize draws
Many retailers and other companies like to host prize draws over the holidays, and scammers are more than happy to take advantage of their generosity – except the only prize is getting your personal details used for nefarious purposes by that same scammer or sold on to other cyber criminals.

Fake charities
Scammers are more than happy to set up phishing websites presenting themselves as charities, mimicking legitimate not-for-profits and harvesting personal and financial information from otherwise well-meaning victims. Check URLs and other details for errors or unlikely addresses.

Fake seasonal jobs
Earn big dollars from home for just an hour’s work? Many scammers offer seasonal work for people with little to no experience in data entry, filling out surveys, and even mystery shopping. Once again, if the offer looks too good to be true, it usually is.

Travel scams
We all like to get away for the holidays, and this is yet another thing that scammers like to take advantage of. Scammers may trick their victims into booking fake flights or accommodations via fake websites that look like the real thing but are very much not. Double-check any website that asks for your payment details, and if in doubt, always get someone to have another look for you.

“Scams often increase over the holiday period as fraudsters exploit the huge demands to buy gifts, give to charities and organise deliveries. Cyber criminals use this rise in demand in their favour and take advantage of people who are likely to have their minds elsewhere, so it’s important to remain vigilant,” Jake Moore, global cyber security adviser for ESET, told Cyber Daily.

“With more deliveries than at other times of the year, make sure you are cautious of postal and texting scams claiming missed deliveries or asking for additional fees. It is far safer to verify any delivery by visiting the official delivery service’s website directly.”

According to Moore, impulse buys can be particularly dangerous, and he warns consumers to “watch out for adverts offering discounted or hard-to-find Christmas gifts as these can lead to dodgy websites selling fake or non-existent products”.

“Fraudulent sites tend to collect your personal and financial information, so it’s a good idea to limit the amount of information you provide,” Moore said.

“If you have to create an account for any product you are purchasing, use a brand new, unique password and enable two-factor authentication.”

David Hollingworth

David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.