Avoiding Scams Over Christmas (Emails, Ads & Online Shopping)
The Christmas period is one of the busiest times of year, not just for retailers, but for cybercriminals too. With people shopping online, clicking delivery updates, and rushing to wrap up work before the holidays, attackers take advantage of distraction and increased digital activity.
For businesses, the risk is even higher. Remote working, temporary staff, and increased online spending all create opportunities for scams to slip through unnoticed. Understanding the most common Christmas scams is one of the best ways to protect your business and your team during this high-risk season.
Why Scams Increase at Christmas
Cybercriminals rely on urgency, emotion, and volume, all of which peak during the festive period. Businesses are particularly vulnerable due to staff working from home, reduced IT cover, unfamiliar seasonal employees, and an increase in online purchases and promotions.
Common Christmas Scams to Watch Out For
Festive phishing emails are one of the most common threats. These messages often pretend to be from retailers, delivery companies, gift card providers, charities, or even HMRC offering a “tax refund”. They encourage recipients to click links, enter login details, or download infected attachments.
Always check the sender’s email address carefully and be cautious of unexpected messages, even if they look convincing.
Fake online shops and adverts also increase at Christmas. Social media and search engines are flooded with ads promoting heavily discounted tech, toys, or designer goods. Many of these sites are fraudulent and exist only to collect payment details.
Only buy from reputable retailers and take a moment to check reviews before purchasing.
Delivery scams are particularly effective when people are waiting for parcels. Fake texts or emails claiming a delivery problem often impersonate Royal Mail, DPD, or Evri, asking for a small payment to “release” a package.
Never click links in unexpected delivery messages, check tracking details directly on official websites.
Charity scams also peak in December. Fake charity websites exploit generosity during the festive season. Always donate through recognised and registered UK charities.
Gift card scams are especially common in businesses. Attackers pose as managers requesting gift cards urgently as Christmas rewards. Staff should know that legitimate managers will never ask for gift cards by email.
Fake Christmas apps and downloads, such as wallpapers or discount apps, may contain malware. Only download apps from official app stores.
How to Protect Your Business This Christmas
Simple steps can significantly reduce risk: train staff on seasonal scams, use email filtering, enable multi-factor authentication, keep antivirus and firewalls updated, and ensure backups and continuity plans are in place.
How CapNet Helps
At CapNet, we help businesses stay secure throughout the festive season. From staff training and email security to system monitoring and incident response, our cybersecurity team keeps your business protected, so you can enjoy Christmas with peace of mind.