Holiday Scam Season: A Short Guide to Share with Family

Every year around the holidays, people in IT get the same kinds of messages from friends and family. "I got a text saying my package is held at customs. Is it real?" "This website has the gift I want at half price. Is it safe?" "Someone messaged me pretending to be my nephew and asking for money."

The holiday season is prime time for scammers. People are shopping more, expecting deliveries, giving to charity and juggling busy schedules. That's exactly the environment scams thrive in.

This guide is written for people who aren't in IT. If you work in technology, consider sharing it with family and friends. If you don't, I hope it helps you enjoy the season without any unpleasant surprises.

Why scams spike during the holidays

Scammers follow people's attention. During the holidays:

• We expect deliveries, so fake shipping messages seem believable.
• We look for deals, so fake stores and too-good-to-be-true offers get clicks.
• We give to charity, so fake fundraisers appear.
• We're busy and distracted, so we're more likely to act quickly without checking.
• We travel, so booking and travel scams increase.

Scams work by creating urgency and emotion. Recognizing that pattern is the most important defence.

Scam 1: Fake delivery notifications

What it looks like: A text or email saying a package couldn't be delivered, is held at customs or needs a small fee before it can be released. There's a link to "reschedule" or "pay."

What's really happening: The link leads to a fake website designed to steal your card details or personal information. The small fee is just the hook.

How to protect yourself:

• Don't click links in unexpected delivery messages.
• If you're expecting a package, track it by going directly to the retailer's website or the courier's official app.
• Remember that real couriers rarely ask for payment by text message.

Scam 2: Fake online stores

What it looks like: A website or social media ad offering popular products at prices far below everyone else. The site may look professional, with photos and reviews copied from real stores.

What's really happening: The store either never sends anything, sends a cheap knock-off or simply collects your card details.

How to protect yourself:

• Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true. They usually are.
• Look up the store's name together with words like "scam" or "reviews" before buying.
• Check that the website address is spelled correctly and isn't an odd variation of a well-known brand.
• Pay by credit card or a trusted payment service, which usually offers better protection than a debit card, bank transfer or gift card.
• Be cautious with stores that only accept unusual payment methods.

Scam 3: Gift card requests

What it looks like: Someone, often pretending to be a boss, a family member, a government agency or tech support, asks you to buy gift cards and send them the numbers on the back.

What's really happening: Gift cards are popular with scammers because they're quick to use and very hard to trace or refund. No legitimate business or government agency asks to be paid in gift cards.

How to protect yourself:

• Treat any request to pay with gift cards as a scam.
• If a "boss" or relative asks for gift cards by text or email, call them on a number you already have to check.

Scam 4: The "family emergency" message

What it looks like: A text or message app conversation that starts with "Hi Mom, I lost my phone, this is my new number." Or a call from someone claiming to be a grandchild in trouble who urgently needs money. Increasingly, scammers use details from social media to sound convincing.

What's really happening: The scammer is impersonating someone you love and using emotion to rush you into sending money.

How to protect yourself:

• Contact the person on the number you already have, or call another family member to check.
• Agree on a family code word that only real family members would know.
• Don't send money until you've confirmed who you're talking to, no matter how urgent it sounds.

Scam 5: Fake charities

What it looks like: Calls, emails or social media posts asking for donations for a cause that tugs at your heartstrings, sometimes using names very similar to real charities.

How to protect yourself:

• Give directly through the charity's official website, not through links in messages.
• In Canada, you can check whether a charity is registered using the Canada Revenue Agency's list of registered charities.
• Be cautious of high-pressure requests for immediate donations, especially by gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.

Scam 6: Account warnings and fake support

What it looks like: An email or text claiming there's a problem with your bank account, streaming subscription or online shopping account, asking you to log in or confirm your details. Or a pop-up on your computer saying it's infected and to call a support number.

How to protect yourself:

• Don't log in through links in messages. Open the app or type the website address yourself.
• Banks and real companies won't ask for your full password or one-time verification codes.
• Pop-ups claiming your computer is infected and asking you to call a number are scams. Close the browser. If it won't close, restart the computer.

Scam 7: Travel and rental deals

What it looks like: Cheap flights, holiday rentals or event tickets offered through social media, classified ads or unfamiliar websites.

How to protect yourself:

• Book through well-known airlines, hotels, rental platforms or ticket sellers.
• Never pay for a rental by wire transfer or e-transfer to someone you haven't verified.
• Be wary of listings that pressure you to pay off the platform.

Helping older relatives

Older family members are often targeted, partly because scammers assume they're less familiar with technology. A little preparation goes a long way:

• Have a calm conversation, not a lecture. Share a few real examples and make it clear that anyone can be fooled.
• Agree on a simple rule: "If anyone asks for money, gift cards or passwords, call me first." Make it easy to call you without feeling embarrassed.
• Set up protections together, such as two-step verification on email and banking, and spam filtering on their phone.
• Save important numbers in their phone, including their bank's official number, so they don't rely on numbers given in messages.
• Check in after big shopping days. A quick "Any strange messages lately?" can catch problems early.

The goal is confidence, not fear. People who know the warning signs are far less likely to panic when a scam arrives.

Five habits that stop most scams

If you remember nothing else, remember these:

1. Slow down. Urgency is the scammer's main tool. A real request can wait ten minutes while you check.
2. Verify independently. Use a phone number, app or website you already know, not one provided in the message.
3. Don't click unexpected links. Go to the company's website or app directly.
4. Protect your accounts. Use different passwords for important accounts, and turn on two-step verification wherever it's offered.
5. Use payment methods with protection. Credit cards usually offer better fraud protection. Never pay strangers with gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency.

What to do if you've been scammed

It happens to smart, careful people every day. Acting quickly helps.

1. Contact your bank or card provider immediately if you shared card details or sent money. They may be able to stop or reverse the payment.
2. Change your passwords if you entered them on a suspicious site, starting with email and banking.
3. Turn on two-step verification for your important accounts if you haven't already.
4. Report it. In Canada, scams and fraud can be reported to your local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Reporting helps authorities track scams and warn others.
5. Tell people you trust. Talking about it reduces embarrassment, and it may stop the same scam from catching someone else.

A note for IT folks

Holiday scams target homes, but they affect workplaces too. Employees shopping on work devices, fake delivery notices arriving in work inboxes and gift card scams impersonating managers all spike at this time of year. A short reminder to staff before the holidays, with real examples, is one of the cheapest security measures you can take.

The takeaway

Scams change their stories every year, but their methods stay the same: urgency, emotion and a request to click, pay or share. Slow down, verify through a channel you trust and use protected payment methods. Those simple habits will stop most scams before they start.

Have you or someone you know received a holiday scam message? What gave it away?