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🎄 Beware of Holiday Scams: The Ultimate Guide to Dodging Yuletide Cons and Beyond! 🎄

Antonio Ieranò

Security, Data Protection, Privacy. Comments are on my own unique responsibility 🙂

Ah, the holiday season knows no borders… and neither do scams! Here, you’ll find a selection of the most common scams at various times of the year, each with its own regional quirks and favourite communication channels.

Phishing – 🌲 Christmas, Eid, New Year Channels: Email, SMS, Social Media Countries: Global Wherever you are, no one’s immune to “incredible discounts.” Fraudsters in the USA, Italy, India, and the Gulf pounce on last-minute gift buyers.
Spear Phishing – 🎄 Christmas, New Year Channels: Email, LinkedIn Countries: USA, Europe, UK Perfect for catching people off guard during holidays. Fraudsters send tailored emails to employees hoping holiday vigilance is, well, “on holiday.”
CEO Fraud – 🎉 New Year, Christmas, Eid Channels: Email, WhatsApp, SMS Countries: Global, especially in USA and Europe During holiday downtime, especially from Christmas to New Year, scammers impersonate CEOs, using WhatsApp and SMS to target employees worldwide.
Vishing – 🕯️ Christmas, Diwali Channels: Phone calls, Voicemail Countries: Global, popular in India and USA “Technical support” calls that promise to solve nonexistent issues. This scam peaks in India and the USA during Diwali and Christmas when families are splurging on tech.
Business Email Compromise (BEC) – 🔔 Christmas, Eid, Easter Channels: Business Email, LinkedIn Countries: USA, Europe In large corporations, internal emails are poorly monitored during Easter and Christmas breaks. On LinkedIn, fraudsters pose as colleagues sending dodgy requests.
Lottery Scam – 🎄 Christmas, New Year, Diwali Channels: Email, Social Media, SMS Countries: Europe, USA, Asia (India) “Holiday lottery wins” are hard to resist, especially in India and English-speaking countries, where SMS and social media announce fake festive jackpots.
Tech Support Scam – 🌟 Christmas, Eid, Easter Channels: Pop-ups, Email, Social Media Countries: USA, UK, India With new gadgets in circulation, fake tech support pop-ups flourish, particularly in the English-speaking world and India, as fraudsters offer to “help” with those brand-new devices.
Fake Invoice Scam – 🌲 Christmas, Diwali Channels: Email, SMS Countries: Global, peaks in Europe and USA Lost in a sea of holiday deliveries, you may receive an “unpaid invoice.” These scammers play on the surge in holiday shopping to confuse recipients.
Charity Scam – 🕯️ Christmas, Easter, Diwali Channels: Email, Social Media, Crowdfunding Countries: USA, Europe, India Exploiting religious holidays, scammers solicit donations. Social media and crowdfunding are primary platforms in the USA and India.
Job Offer Scam – 🎉 New Year, Chinese New Year Channels: LinkedIn, Email, Job Portals Countries: Global, common in USA and UK New Year, new opportunities… for fraudsters too. Fake job offers flood LinkedIn during work season restarts like the Chinese New Year, tempting unsuspecting hopefuls.
Investment Scam – ✨ New Year, Chinese New Year Channels: Email, Social Media, SMS Countries: Global, common in Europe and USA The New Year brings investment hopes, which fraudsters exploit. They tempt with “positive starts to the year” via fraudulent investment offers.
Romance Scam – 💘 Valentine’s Day, Christmas Channels: Dating Apps, Social Media, Messaging Countries: USA, Europe, India Valentine’s and Christmas are ripe for romance scams. Especially in English-speaking countries, scammers promise love… then ask for cash.
IRS or Revenue Agency Scam – 📅 Tax deadlines, New Year Channels: Email, SMS, Calls Countries: USA, Europe In the USA, with the fiscal year ending in December, fake IRS threats by email or SMS increase, demanding urgent payments.
PayPal Scam – 🌲 Christmas, New Year Channels: Email, Social Media, App Notifications Countries: Common in USA, Europe Holiday PayPal use rises, and so do “suspicious transaction” alerts. Fraudsters exploit online shopping surges to steal financial data.
Delivery/Shipping Scam – 🎄 Christmas, New Year, Diwali Channels: SMS, Email, App Notifications Countries: Global, peaks in USA, UK, Italy With delivery chaos, fake tracking notifications abound. Last-minute shoppers are the most vulnerable.
Subscription Renewal Scam – 🎁 Christmas, New Year Channels: Email, App Notifications, Social Media Countries: USA, Europe Christmas sees many renewals. Scammers send email notifications and social alerts, tricking people into unnecessary renewals.
Extortion Scam – 🎄 Christmas, Easter Channels: Email, Social Media Countries: Global Extortion threats thrive during holiday stress. Via email and social media, fraudsters target those already frazzled by festivities, demanding cash.
Fake Charity or Crowdfunding – 🕯️ Diwali, Eid, Christmas Channels: Email, Social Media, Crowdfunding Countries: USA, Europe, India Scammers prey on religious generosity to seek funds via email, social media, and crowdfunding platforms. Always verify before you donate!
Account Deactivation Scam – 🌟 Christmas, New Year Channels: SMS, WhatsApp, Email Countries: Global Accounts don’t deactivate at Christmas, but fraudsters hope you’ll think they do. Suspicious “deactivation” notices via SMS and WhatsApp are a red flag.
Red Envelope Scam – 🧧 Chinese New Year Channels: WeChat Countries: China, Singapore, Taiwan A Chinese New Year classic: “red envelopes” on WeChat. Scammers send links or messages offering envelopes with cash, only to prompt malware downloads or bank info. The only legitimate envelopes come from people you know!

🎅 Holiday Anti-Scam Tips 🎅 Before clicking that link or responding to strange requests, take a pause. The real Santa Claus never asks for bank details, and digital red envelopes only come from trusted friends! Happy holidays, and zero scams for all! 🎉