From frantic, last-minute shopping to festive party hopping, the holiday season is full of frenzied activity. Unfortunately, amidst the revelry, unsuspecting victims can easily get caught in traps set by cybercriminals. As you spread holiday cheer, don’t overlook the importance of protecting your personal and financial information.

Online scammers, in particular. tend to be more active during the holiday months because more people are using their credit cards to make purchases across numerous websites. Gaining awareness of the potential scams you may encounter helps you better safeguard your sensitive personal information.

10 common holiday scams.

Stay alert for bad actors during the holiday season. Remember that while some scams may see an uptick during the holidays, fraudsters can be just as active and dangerous at any time of the year.

1. Credit card fraud

When an unauthorized person gains access to your credit cards, fraud may follow. Cybercriminals steal credit card information via the dark web, data breaches, skimming, and fake websites. Regardless of how they gain access, scammers can commit serious credit card fraud in seconds.

Typically, the scammer will attempt to charge one or two small items to avoid tipping you off to their scheme. When those charges go unnoticed, fraudsters tend to up the game and charge as much as they can before they’re caught. If you don’t keep an eye on your bank statements or pending charges, you may not realize someone’s been accessing your account until it’s too late.

2. Social media scams

Due to the social, public, and community-oriented nature of social media platforms, you may be tempted to let your guard down and assume you’re in the clear. However, social media scams are likely to increase during the holiday season. Huge discounts for followers who share a post or take a survey, as well as close-out sales or too good to be true holiday deals, are the hallmarks of social media scams Most of these posts deploy malware designed to infect your device and obtain personal information through a data-gathering attack or phishing email.

3. Package theft

Often referred to as “porch pirates,” scammers who snatch packages from the front porch rely on the oldest trick in the book: physically stealing something that doesn’t belong to them. Delivery drivers often leave packages for homeowners to retrieve once they get home, but these bad actors beat them to it and swoop in for the steal. Porch pirates have spurred many homeowners to invest in video doorbells to try and catch these criminals in the act.

Porch pirates may also be more active during the holiday season because online shoppers tend to order and receive more packages. Although several homeowners have come up with their own methods of dealing with porch pirates, the best course of action is to report any package theft to the police.

4. Delivery scams

With so many packages being delivered nationwide, scammers also take advantage of the number of shipping notifications that shoppers receive. For example, you might receive a suspicious text or email notifying you of a missed delivery or a missed delivery notice on your door. In either case, no such package exists.

In a similar scam, fraudsters start their trickery from further up the assembly line: They advertise an item for sale and send fake shipping information once the unsuspecting buyer provides their payment information. The item may or may not exist, but the tracking number makes it appear as if the item is on the way—until the tracking link stops working or the package seemingly doesn’t move. The goals nevertheless remain the same: to extract payment information and steal money from unsuspecting victims.

5. Charity scams

Sharing the holiday spirit through financial means can help brighten the holidays for others. Unfortunately, many fake charities take advantage of the giving spirit without remorse. Many of the charities and funds advertised throughout the holiday season can be phony, posing as a front to collect money from Good Samaritans. If you want to donate this holiday season, contact your favorite charity directly to avoid running into bad actors along the way.

6. Fake refund

Remembering everything you’ve purchased during the holiday season can be challenging; this is where fake refund schemes come into play. Potential victims receive a text or email notifying them of a pending refund they can claim by clicking on a provided link. However, when victims click through the link, they find out sooner or later that malware has been installed on their device to steal their personal information.

7. Gift card scams

The convenience of gift cards can simplify holiday shopping, which is why gift card scams made this list. Sophisticated gift card scams can even target physical gift cards in the store. Buy cards directly from the source to avoid fraud, or consider giving your loved ones or friends cash instead.

8. Travel scams

If you receive texts or emails advertising free flights or other travel-related perks, beware of a potential scam (and don’t follow any included links). Many of these communications stem from spoofed websites that look like the real thing but differ slightly in the domain name or another critical component. The links contained in these travel scam communications often lead to malware that can exploit your personal and financial information. Instead, try going directly to the website or contacting their customer service from the website information (not information in the email) to verify the legitimacy of any offers or perks.

9. Clone website scams

Clone website scams, also known as website spoofing, redirect unsuspecting victims to a fake website. The web address may be misspelled just slightly or use a subdomain such as realdomain.com.fakedomain.com to spoof the ID. With these types of sites, it’s especially important for you to zero in on where the last domain ends. Highly sophisticated clone website scams will send out emails or offers that look legitimate, but website visitors can look for the SSL certificate (or a lock icon) on the website to determine if it’s a clone or legitimate.

10. Fake contests or giveaways

Winning a free vacation after a stressful holiday season can feel good — too good to be true, in fact. Scammers often use fake contests or giveaways that advertise products, cash, or an all-expenses-paid vacation to prey on victims, and in the process, request access to their personal or financial information. If you receive one of these texts or emails, avoid clicking any links, and make sure to mark the message as spam. 

How to protect yourself against holiday fraudsters.

In this holiday season, don’t let your defenses slip and allow scammers to gain access to your personal and financial information. Here are a few practical steps you can take to protect yourself from holiday fraudsters:

• Avoid making purchases or entering personal information while using a public Wi-Fi network
• Keep all your devices, including your smartphone, updated with the latest version of your chosen virus protection software
• Use a credit card for transactions, specifically, cards that carry consumer protection or zero-liability protection
• Anticipate an increase in the number of spam calls, texts, and emails you’ll receive this time of year, and increase your awareness and caution accordingly
• Turn on two-factor or multi-factor authentication for your accounts
• Keep a close eye on your financial activities and report fraud immediately
• If a price or terms and conditions sound too good to be true, it probably is

It can be challenging to find time to carefully and regularly review your finances during the last few months of the year. But the consequences of not doing so can prove far worse if you don’t catch fraud quickly. Still, if you find yourself the victim of holiday scams, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to minimize the impact.

How to report holiday fraud.

The first step in reporting holiday fraud is undertaking damage control. By meticulously reviewing your accounts and notifying any corresponding financial institutions, you can determine to what extent cybercriminals have penetrated your security measures. Following your review, consider filing a report with the local police department.

You can also take reporting holiday fraud one step further by reporting the crime to the FBI and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Contact one of the three credit bureaus — Experian, TransUnion, or Equifax — to put a security alert on your credit. Each bureau is legally obligated to notify the other two if they receive a request for a security alert.

Safeguard your finances this holiday season.

The holidays are often a time to focus on what you’ve been most grateful for throughout the year and what you’re looking forward to in the new year. Educate yourself on the type of holiday fraud you’re likely to encounter this season to keep yourself and your family safe as you embrace everything 2025 has to offer.

If you feel you’ve been a victim of identity theft or a bank fraud holiday scam, or notice unusual account activity, contact Popular Bank immediately to help protect your sensitive information.