Holiday Scams

During the holidays, package and delivery service scams surge in popularity. Package related scams tend to fall into two primary categories: package theft and fake missing package notifications. 

Delivery notification scam calls and messages tend to look like they are coming from a legitimate mail courier, such as the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS. When these come in message form, they typically include fake tracking links as well. Never click a link or call back a number from an unexpected delivery notice. Contact the company directly using a verified phone number, email, or website. If you would like to learn more about courier scams, you can visit our article on the topic!  

Each holiday season you can count on social media scams showing up in some form or another. These days, scams come in all shapes and sizes. Fraudsters use major social media platforms to advertise various scams to a large audience.  A lot of these fake advertisements are for hot-ticket Christmas gifts at a discounted price; however, these advertisements lead to phony websites where the scam occurs. Other advertisements request donations where scammers pose as fake charities.

Another type of scam that is arising through social media is the advertisement of dangerous holiday-themed apps, especially those geared to younger audiences. Be careful of what you choose to install! The BBB notes that many of these new holiday apps contain malware or collect personal information. If it is your first time hearing about an app that claims to track Santa or partake in other fun holiday activities, make sure you investigate its legitimacy before choosing to download it.

Scammers will also send direct messages, emails, texts, and even phone calls to people trying to extract money or personal data which can then be used to access bank accounts and cards. If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, you can visit our webpage on fraud recovery for helpful steps in recovering your information. 
 
"Secret Santa" is a very common social media scam where users recruit others to join a “Secret Santa” group with the promise that they could receive gifts from fellow users. There is typically a certain monetary requirement for what you must spend on a stranger on the internet. They have you provide your name, address and email, which opens the door for identity theft. After collecting your information, they request that you recruit your friends as well.

Gift exchange scam examples:

• Exchanging bottles of alcohol.

• Submitting your email or username into a list where participants get to pick a name and send money to strangers to "pay it forward."

• Buying a $10 gift or e-gift card for your "secret recipient."

In all these versions, participants unwittingly share their personal information (name, home address, email, username, payment details, along with those of their family members and friends, and are further tricked into buying and shipping gifts or money to unknown individuals.

If you think it sounds like a pyramid scheme, you’re right. This scam has been identified by the Better Business Bureau, which released a statement describing the scam and why it is illegal. 

Check out our full article on gift and donation scams to learn more about how these scams work!

A popular scam that goes around during the holiday season often comes in the form of unsolicited phone calls, emails, or messages that claim you have won a sweepstake, lottery, or prize. Sometimes, this can extend into claiming to provide heavy discounts on common gift items. Typically, these offers revolve around desirable items such as electronics, cars, or appliances. Remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true, then it probably is! 

Have you ever wondered why packages sometimes randomly appear at your doorstep even though you haven't ordered anything?  Well, you may have been a victim of a brushing scam. Brushing scams happen when you receive a package addressed to you at your home address that you've never ordered. These packages have no return address, leaving you with the option of opening it or throwing it away. Let's say you decide to open it: inside of the package you see a random cheap object, possibly along with a QR code. You might be thinking it was a secret Santa, and someone was thinking of you and bought you a gift. However, in this instance, that is not the case. 
 
In this scam, the scammer finds your home address somewhere online and uses a third-party mailing service to send a random package to it. After sending the package, they typically write a review using your name to boost the statistics on their fraudulent website. This allows them to raise the prices of products they have listed while seeming like a reputable business, scamming the buyers in the process. Raising the prices for others allows them to make a profit, despite sending you a package at no cost to you. 
 
Alternatively, the scammer may attempt to have you scan an included QR code to answer questions regarding the package. However, the QR code will lead to an imitation of a legitimate site that you might be familiar with where you're prompted to sign-in to “learn more” about the package. Signing in to the fraudulent website sends your username and password to the scammer, potentially leaving them with access to your accounts. 

So, next time you receive a package that you did not order and doesn't have a return address, please take the time and ask yourself: could this possibly be a brushing attempt? 

During the holiday season, job scams become more prevalent due to the surge in seasonal hiring and the number of people seeking quick, temporary income. Scammers exploit this urgency by posting fake “holiday helper” or remote positions that promise fast cash with minimal effort. These schemes often move quickly, use high-pressure tactics, and target individuals who may be less cautious amid the busy season. As a result, the likelihood of encountering too good to be true offers, requests for upfront payments, or false onboarding processes increases significantly during the holidays. A golden rule to follow is, if it is too good to be true, it is. 
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