The most common Christmas gift scams: how to recognize them and defend yourself

The Christmas period concentrates an enormous amount of digital purchases, messages, notifications and online interactions in just a few weeks, creating a potentially very fertile environment for online scams. We are talking about well-known techniques, often not even too sophisticated from an IT point of view, but extremely refined on a psychological level: phishing emails, fake messages that imitate official communications, apparently credible offers (with designer bags, jackets, shoes and watches at a third of their value), “temporary” payment requests, social groups that simulate consensus and reliability, fake urgent parcels or artfully constructed solidarity appeals. In this in-depth analysis we analyze the most widespread online Christmas gift scams in this period, analyzing the mechanisms with which they work, and above all the concrete strategies to defend yourself effectively.

What are the most common Christmas scams

Let’s review the techniques used by scammers at Christmas to trap their victims.

Discounted products with limited availability

Scams via social media and chat are increasingly insidious. On these platforms, seemingly legitimate groups offer branded merchandise at rock-bottom prices. Fake profiles (or accomplices) post enthusiastic reviews to create a certain climate of trust, which pushes less astute users to buy without thinking twice. Scammers use social engineering to maximize the results of their fraud attempts, for example by making their victims believe that the products they sell have «limited availability» and sometimes asking for small advances to lock in the price. If the user takes the bait set by the scammer, the latter grabs the money and disappears into thin air.

The Corriere della Serain an article recently highlighted this scheme by documenting cases of scams that start from rather crowded WhatsApp groups, where luxury products (bags, watches, designer clothing, etc.) are put up for sale at incredibly advantageous prices. We are talking about about a third of the market value. The strength of the deception lies, in this specific case, in the social consensus simulated in the chat: dozens of participants (actually accomplices or fake accounts) constantly interact, pretending to make purchases and asking for information to create a climate of trust and frenzy. Then focusing on imminent deadlines and limited pieces, criminals push the victim to buy without thinking much about what he is doing. To appear legitimate, sellers provide apparently precise details: they promise invoices (sometimes sent in PDF with overall credible graphics), fast shipping and even indicate the address of a physical warehouse (which in reality does not exist). The crucial step is the request for an advance via instant bank transfer to secure the elusive “deal”. Once the money has been sent, the tone of the chat changes: the replies are missing, the “seller” disappears and no one in the group writes anything anymore.

Fake gift cards, fake couriers and fake fundraisers

Fake gift cards and messages from fake couriers are also a potential danger. The former can be counterfeit and unusable; the latter are the pretext for the famous SMS from “fake couriers” reporting shipping problems. When more or less everyone is waiting for a package from some e-commerce site, this type of message becomes extremely credible and dangerous. If the user takes the bait, they may agree to click on links and provide personal data or payment information, making them yet another victim of this time-tested scam scheme. The same predatory logic applies to fake fundraisers, which exploit the spirit of solidarity of this period (and the reliability of well-known charities) to divert donations to phantom entities.

How to protect yourself from online Christmas scams

To defend yourself from online Christmas scams, it is essential to pay due attention to some precautions which, if ignored, can ideally roll out the red carpet for cyber criminals.

• Follow good digital hygiene. Out-of-date devices and browsers represent dangerous openings that can be exploited to your detriment. The use of a good antivirus is also necessary on PCs and Android smartphones to defend yourself from the main software threats.
• Buy consciously. This, translated into simple words, means first of all carefully analyzing the price: if an offer is drastically lower than the average market price, it is almost certainly a scam. Also pay attention to the choice of the site from which you purchase, favoring well-known platforms or large chains, which usually guarantee good assistance and refunds in case of problems. And then don’t forget to check the reviews, being wary of products and services that don’t have them, but also of comments that are all the same and generic (which could belong to fake accounts).
• Secure payments by providing only the strictly necessary data. The use of prepaid or rechargeable cards remains one of the best methods to limit the damage in case of problems.
• Little “bonus” tip to follow as golden rule: when you make a purchase, you cool down the decision-making process that pushes you to click on the “Buy now” button. Much better to lose a flash offer than your money or, even worse, your personal data.