12 Holiday Cyber Scams To Lookout For In 2025

When it comes to holidays, two things are true at the same time. They're extremely fun but also extremely stressful! Between the family get-togethers, travel plans, and spa days, there's a lot of shopping, online transactions, and travel planning, all of which are rive with scammers and hackers looking to make a buck at your expense!

In this blog, we'll outline 12 of the most prominent cyber and hacking scams used by cybercriminals in 2025. We'll walk through what each scam is, how scammers find victims, and finally, how you can avoid falling victim to one of these scams!

1. Holiday Charity Scams

Holiday charity scams use fake charities set up by scammers, which have the sole intent of tricking victims into voluntarily donating money to the fake charity, thinking they're supporting a good cause. In reality, the money is just going into the scammer's bank account.

Typically, scammers rely on social media, search engines, or paid advertisements to promote their fake charity. A complex web of fake domains, websites, and social media profiles is used to try and add legitimacy to the fake charity.

If you're serious about donating to a good cause, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is to verify the legitimacy of the charity by checking to see if the charity is properly registered in your country and, if so, what information is linked to their registration (e.g., website domain, email address, physical address, or a contact person).

2. Holiday E-Card Scams

Holiday e-card scams are a technique used by cybercriminals to trick victims into clicking on links or downloading attachments in unsolicited emails or SMS messages. Cybercriminals will often try to masquerade as a trusted friend, colleague, or organization to increase the effectiveness of these scams.

Often, phishing links and attachments are used to compromise the victim's online accounts, either through the execution of malware or the capturing of credentials. All it takes from an attacker is a fake email address or phone number to perform these attacks, making them widespread and commonly confused with spam or junk messages.

The best way to protect yourself from holiday e-card scams is to always remain wary of unsolicited messages that directly or indirectly ask you to perform an action, such as downloading an attachment or clicking a link. If you're ever suspicious, err on the side of caution and don't do what's being asked.

3. Fake Online Retail Store Scams

Fake online retail store scams are common scams used by cybercriminals looking to make a quick buck. During the peak of the holiday season, when items are selling out and a shopping frenzy is underway, scammers will offer deals that are too good to be true.

For example, you might be trying to buy a new lawn mower, but your preferred brand is all sold out. However, mysteriously, there's a store that's selling them at a cheaper price than the standard retail price. In cases like this, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

There is no standard set of protocols to avoid this type of scam because we operate in an international ecosystem of online sellers who may or may not be a registered business in the country you live in. The best way to avoid these types of scams is to trust your gut. Does anything seem off? Is the price too low? Is their social media presence mysteriously quiet, or even mysteriously active but new? Do they have many reviews, and are the reviews spread over a long period of time, indicating that the business has been in operation for years?

4. Black Friday & Cyber Monday Scams

Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams, at their core, are phishing attacks that simply utilize Black Friday and Cyber Monday holiday sales as the lure to entice victims into clicking on links that lead to phishing websites that are designed to steal credentials or money.

Victims will commonly receive unsolicited emails or SMS messages that advertise these fake Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales. The best way to avoid these attacks is to simply remain wary of any unsolicited message. If the message appears as though it's from a popular online retailer, don't click on links in the email; instead, traverse to the website using an alternative method such as Google Search.

5. Fake Lottery & Sweepstakes Scams

Fake lottery and sweepstakes scams can be received via email, SMS message, or even physical mail, and they try to entice victims into joining the sweepstakes or lottery by asking for a small joining fee while offering a huge life-changing prize.

The catch with these scams is that the initial joining fee is just the first ask. The scam unfolds progressively and over time, as the scammer advises the victim that they've progressed to the next stage of the lottery or sweepstakes, but an additional fee is required to continue. With each progression, the fee increases, and the victim falls into the sunk costs fallacy. Ultimately, there is no prize, and the victim only realizes this after they can no longer afford the fee requests.

Avoiding these types of scams is simple. Don't join unsolicited lotteries or sweepstakes, regardless of the promise or ask. If you do, don't do it with the expectation of getting any money back.

6. Valentine's Day Romance Scams

Valentine's Day romance scams sometimes referred to as pig-butchering scams, are insidious attacks that abuse the desire of victims to find a romantic partner.

These scams may occur on or in the build-up to Valentine's Day while the attacker builds trust and rapport with the victim. Ultimately, the scammer asks the victim for a large Valentine's Day present to showcase their love. Once the present is obtained, the scammer either carries on the scam, asking for progressively larger presents or money requests, or they disappear suddenly and without a trace.

To protect yourself against Valentine's Day romance scams, try to meet with your romantic partner or interest in person and soon after meeting in any online setting, such as on a dating app. In-person dates are the best way to determine the intentions of who you're speaking with and whether they are who they say they are.

7. Halloween Scams

Halloween scams use memes or witty jokes to try and entice victims into clicking on suspicious links in emails or social media posts.

These links often lead to websites that are designed to harvest sensitive information from the victim. The line between scam and spam can often be blurred in cases such as this, and the difference between them ultimately comes down to intent on what data is captured and how it will be used.

To protect yourself against Halloween scams, simply laugh at the memes or jokes, but don't click to view more! Particularly if the email or social media post is unsolicited and from an unknown individual.

8. Holiday Gift Card Scams

Holiday gift card scams are fake promotions run by scammers where they advertise that you'll get a free gift card for filling out a quick verification form.

These verification forms start off simple but progressively ask the victim for more and more information, streaming any data entered back to the scammer in real time. By the time the victim realizes they've fallen for a scam and closes the form, it's too late. Any data they've entered has been captured and stored by the scammer.

To avoid falling for this type of scammer, remain weary of any promotion that's offering something for free, particularly during the holiday season. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

9. Easter Egg Hunting Scams

Easter egg-hunting scams are phishing attacks that leverage the Easter holiday as a lure to try and trick victims into clicking a malicious link or downloading a malicious attachment.

Easter egg-hunting scam messages typically refer to some form of upcoming easter egg hunt that the victim is invited to, which includes a prize as an incentive for the victim to sign up. To avoid falling victim to this type of scam, you simply need to remain wary of any unsolicited messages that refer to some form of prize or reward, particularly around the Easter holiday season.

10. Holiday Party Scams

Holiday party scams can occur on any holiday, and they involve the delivery of malicious messages that seemingly contain an invite to an upcoming party that the victim is invited to and is being hosted by one of their friends, family members, or workplace.

These messages are particularly effective because many parties are organized through third-party websites to track invites and RSVPs. Because of this, victims are trained to expect emails from unrecognized senders, which increases the effectiveness of these attacks.

11. Mother & Father's Day Gift Scams

Mother and Father's Day gift scams typically involve the use of fraudulent emails, SMS messages, social media posts, online marketplace listings, and websites, which advertise some form of discount for a popular gift that could be given to a mother or father.

In many cases, scammers are either looking to harvest sensitive information, steal credit cards, or steal monetary funds directly through fraudulent transactions where the purchased item is simply never delivered.

To protect yourself from these types of scams, avoid making any purchases from individuals or businesses that don't have a proven track record, where it can be evidenced that they've been reputable sellers over a multi-year timeline. Don't trust any self-published evidence. Always look for reviews published on third-party websites.

12. Holiday Travel Booking Scams

Holiday travel booking scams are designed to entice potential tourists to book a holiday through a fake travel agency that is offering higher-than-normal discounts in an attempt to attract victims.

These scams are typically complex and involve the use of fake domains, fake websites, fake social media profiles, fake reviews, and even voice or video calls between the scammer and victim to try and build rapport.

To avoid these types of scams, only ever use a travel agency that you know exists, either through physically seeing the agency, or can be verified as a legitimately registered business in your country of origin. If in doubt, simply plan your upcoming holiday yourself, booking your own flights and accommodation.

Conclusion

There you have it! These are the most popular cyber and hacking scams you might stumble across during the holiday period. Remember, the best way to stay safe is to simply remain skeptical of any social media posts or direct messages that are unsolicited and offer you a too-good-to-be-true offer!