Merry Christmas, Not Scary Christmas: How to Avoid Festive Phishing Scams
Cybercriminals take advantage of the festive season to target unsuspecting victims. Don't let it be you.
The festive season is a time for giving, celebrating, and... phishing? Unfortunately, cybercriminals often take advantage of the festive cheer to target unsuspecting individuals and businesses with carefully crafted phishing scams. While we’re decking the halls, they’re flooding inboxes with fake offers, fraudulent charity appeals, and too-good-to-be-true deals.
This is all too common. You’ve probably heard of someone falling victim to these scams if you haven’t fallen victim yourself. Luckily, Nitec is here to help!
Here’s how you can avoid falling victim to Christmas-themed phishing attacks and ensure that the only surprises this season are underneath the Christmas tree!
1. Be Wary of "Urgent" Emails
Cybercriminals love to prey by creating a false sense of urgency. Emails claiming, "Last chance for 80% off!" might catch your attention, but they’re often scams designed to trick you into clicking a malicious link.
What to do: Always verify the sender’s email address and instead of clicking the link, visit the retailer’s website directly to verify the information.
2. Double-Check Charity Appeals
The season of giving is a prime time for scammers to send fraudulent donation requests. Emails or messages from unknown charities, especially with vague details, should raise red flags.
What to do: If you would like to make a charitable donation, visit the charity’s website directly yourself rather than clicking an email link.
3. Look Out for Fake Delivery Notifications
With online shopping booming during the holidays, fake delivery notifications are rampant. These emails often claim your package is delayed or needs more information to be delivered. And it might have come from a ‘courier’ that you aren’t even using! Let’s say you placed an order with Amazon but received a ‘late delivery’ email from DPD – it’s not relevant to you and is a clear sign of a scam.
What to do: Track your order using the retailer’s official tracking system, not through links in unsolicited emails.
4. Protect Your Business from Holiday Scams
For businesses, phishing attacks can increase during the Christmas period when teams are short-staffed. Cybercriminals may impersonate clients, vendors, or even co-workers with fraudulent requests.
What to do: Encourage employees to verify requests for sensitive information or financial transactions and report suspicious emails promptly.
5. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Even if a scammer gets hold of your credentials, MFA adds an extra layer of protection, making it much harder for them to gain access to your accounts.
This Christmas, let’s make sure the only thing on your plate is turkey and stuffing—not stolen credentials or compromised data. With a little caution and awareness, you can enjoy the festive cheer without fear.
Have a Merry – not scary – Christmas!