Irresistible discounts, urgent messages and calls for solidarity: Christmas has once again become fertile ground for increasingly sophisticated fraudsters.
As the peak consumption time of the year approaches, warnings against digital fraud are intensifying again. The Australian bank Westpac drew attention to a set of schemes that tend to take off in December, taking advantage of the increase in online shopping, travel bookings and charitable donations, in a context of greater haste and less attention from consumers.
According to the financial institution, fraudsters are increasingly organized and sophisticated, mainly exploiting social networks and trust in digital communications. One of the most frequent schemes involves fraudulent advertisements on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook or TikTok, which promise exclusive discounts on well-known brands, but direct users to fake websites, where personal data is collected or counterfeit products are sold.
Alongside these advertisements, so-called “ghost stores” appear: visually credible websites, with professional images and careful commercial language, that offer very low prices on electronics, toys or luxury items. After payment, consumers never receive the goods purchased and the websites disappear without a trace.
Another recurring method involves false delivery notifications. Messages sent by SMS or email inform you that an order is delayed or held, requesting the payment of an additional fee. By clicking on the links, victims can install malicious software or provide bank and credit card details. Schemes in which criminals demand payments through gift cards, pretending to be public entities or service companies, also continue to proliferate. The bank emphasizes that no legitimate organization uses this payment method.
Technology is also being used to make scams more convincing. In some cases, criminals use hacked accounts or artificial intelligence voice cloning tools to pose as family members in an emergency, asking for urgent money transfers. In the travel sector, advertisements for non-existent accommodation and false airline refund emails are multiplying, leading consumers to pay deposits for reservations that never materialize.
Phishing campaigns continue to take various forms, from false communications on behalf of banks and large retailers to account suspension notices or delivery delays, always with an alarmist tone. The generosity typical of the Christmas season is also exploited through false charities and fraudulent crowdfunding pages. Added to this are schemes associated with seasonal employment, which require advance payments or sensitive personal data, as well as malicious QR codes placed in false promotional materials, capable of compromising mobile devices.
Quoted in a statement, the head of Fraud Prevention at Westpac, Ben Young, warns that fraudsters “show no signs of slowing down as we get closer to the holidays. From fraud on social media and ghost stores to impersonation and emotional manipulation, they continue to push the limits in an attempt to steal from consumers,” he says. According to him, at this time of year an increase in schemes that combine appealing offers with demands for immediate payment is expected, as well as false delivery alerts and appeals for solidarity.
What to do to defend yourself?
The bank recommends that consumers avoid paying under pressure and be suspicious of immediate payment requests, especially when they involve gift cards, cryptocurrencies or urgent transfers because no charity or company will act in this way. We also advise you to carefully check your email addresses, avoid clicking on links with “buy here” buttons received via messages or social networks and always access official websites or applications directly. In the case of donations, prior verification of the organizations’ legitimacy is essential, so do some research to confirm their existence. Check if it is legitimate.
Whenever something seems out of the ordinary, we recommend acting quickly. Identifying suspicious transactions and immediately contacting your bank can be decisive in limiting losses. In an increasingly digital Christmas, surveillance continues to be the main line of defense against a phenomenon that knows no borders.
