Holiday Scams Are Surging. Here Are the Top Threats Facing Your Workforce.

The holiday season is approaching, and with it comes a predictable surge in cybercrime. Every year, thousands fall victim to holiday scams as the rise in shopping, travel, and personal communication gives attackers more opportunities to target both consumers and workplaces.

People are juggling increased personal obligations, communication, and higher transaction volume during this time, which creates an environment where attackers can blend malicious activity into the noise. Seasonal activity makes it easier for malicious messages to slip into the flow of legitimate alerts, receipts, and confirmations that people expect during November and December.

These trends have a significant financial impact. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2024 report, non-payment and non-delivery scams accounted for more than $785 million in losses last year, while credit card fraud added another $199 million. Many attacks begin with personal messages, while others directly impersonate workplace vendors, delivery partners, or purchasing workflows. Both pathways create risk, especially when employees use the same devices, accounts, or browsers for personal and work activity.

This blog highlights the holiday scams most likely to appear this season and explains why they create rising risk in workplace environments.

5 Holiday Scams Your Employees Need to Watch This Season

1. Package Shipping and Delivery Scams

Holiday shipping volume makes delivery alerts a reliable disguise for attackers. Fraudulent texts and emails claim a delivery issue and urge the recipient to click a link, fix an address, resolve a fee, or call a fake support number. These messages often imitate UPS, FedEx, or USPS with convincing logos and formatting.

Attackers also leave fake missed delivery tags on doors that redirect people to the same credential harvesting or payment fraud. Clicking links can install malware, capture login details, or redirect to fake tracking pages. Calling the number can lead to social engineering that extracts sensitive information.

Workplace risk rises when employees check delivery notices on company devices or while logged into corporate apps. A single malicious link can compromise stored passwords, session tokens, or corporate access.

The safest approach is to avoid reacting to unsolicited alerts. Go directly to the carrier website or app, type the URL manually, and verify tracking numbers through official channels.

2. Fake Shopping Sites and Holiday Retail Scams

High demand and limited time sales create ideal cover for fraudulent retail sites. These pages often use stolen branding, professional layouts, and lookalike domains. People discover them through promotional emails, social media ads, or search results, promising unusually deep discounts.

Once someone attempts to buy, the site may take payment without delivering anything, send counterfeits, or collect personal and financial data for future fraud.

This creates a direct workplace threat. Many employees browse personal shopping sites on work devices, which can expose stored corporate credentials or synced accounts. At the same time, teams making corporate purchases for gifts or year-end needs can be tricked into placing orders through lookalike vendor sites that capture corporate card information or billing details.

Stick to verified retailers, double check URLs, and be cautious of deals that seem significantly better than established sellers. Using a credit card adds a layer of fraud protection.

3. Travel and Booking Scams

The holiday travel rush gives attackers an opportunity to impersonate airlines, hotels, rental agencies, and booking platforms. These scams usually appear as confirmation notices, cancellation alerts, or limited time offers that drive victims to fake booking pages designed to collect sensitive information.

These attacks affect both personal and corporate travel. Employees may enter data into a fraudulent platform on a work device, or corporate travel coordinators may receive fake portals that appear tied to legitimate carriers. Public Wi-Fi during travel adds another risk since attackers can intercept sessions or capture credentials.

Attackers also take advantage of company holiday events. Fake reservation confirmations, venue changes, or catering invoices can be sent to employees involved in planning. These messages often mimic legitimate vendors or event services and are designed to capture payment details or initiate fraudulent transfers under the pressure of time sensitive arrangements.

Employees should use verified airline and hotel sites or approved corporate booking channels. They should avoid clicking unsolicited travel or event alerts, keep travel plans off social media, and use a secure network or VPN when traveling. Any unexpected reservation issue should be verified directly with the provider through official channels.

4. Charity and Donation Scams

Giving increases sharply in November and December, and attackers use this trend by creating fake charities, fraudulent fundraising pages, and phishing emails that mimic known non-profits. Emotional appeals and end of year urgency make these scams effective.

Employees often encounter messages referencing company giving programs, corporate philanthropy initiatives, or community organizations their business supports. Attackers build donation pages that resemble legitimate ones, which makes it easy for employees to enter credit card information or personal details.

Organizations also face targeted attempts. Finance or HR teams may receive unsolicited sponsorship requests, fabricated invoices tied to charitable events, or messages that appear to come from trusted philanthropic partners.

Employees should verify every donation independently. Organizations can reduce risk by keeping an approved charity list, routing contributions through a formal process, and confirming any unexpected request with known contacts.

5. Gift Card, Prize, and Fake Promotion Scams

Gift card, prize, bonus, and fake promotion scams surge during the holidays. Messages may claim that an employee has earned a seasonal bonus, qualified for a year-end promotion, won a contest, or needs to purchase gift cards for a leader or team initiative. Attackers use urgency and secrecy to push people into sharing gift card numbers, financial details, or login credentials.

These scams often impersonate executives, HR leaders, or colleagues and reference client gifts, team celebrations, year-end rewards, or internal promotions. Because bonus announcements and company recognitions are common during the holidays, these messages can appear credible and are acted on quickly. Once gift card numbers or payment details are shared, the funds are gone instantly.

The safest response is to verify any unexpected reward, bonus, or promotion related request through a trusted channel before taking action. Employees should treat urgency as a warning sign. Organizations can reduce risk by defining clear gift card procedures, limiting who can authorize purchases, and reminding employees that legitimate rewards, bonuses, and promotions will always be communicated through official company channels.

Staying Secure Through the Holiday Season

Holiday scams succeed because they exploit moments when people and businesses are moving fast. As attackers blur the line between personal and workplace targeting, the best defense is a clear understanding of which messages are legitimate and which demand a closer look. Encouraging employees to slow down, verify unexpected requests, and use official channels helps protect the organization during its busiest season. By pairing user readiness with thoughtful controls around purchasing, travel, charitable giving, and corporate rewards, organizations can stay ahead of seasonal threats and safeguard both their workforce and their data.