For scammers, the most valuable targets are rarely careless. High-net-worth folks are often engaged with their financial security; ironically, that is precisely why they are worth targeting. The gamble for the crooks is that, one of these days, they might catch a big fish at a time when they are off guard. In the weeks around the season's biggest shopping days, cybercriminals lean on a familiar set of tactics: urgency, imitation, and requests dressed up to look routine. None of it is new. All of it is worth a second look. Just remember: not everyone has been good this year! Messages Built to Look Familiar A large share of these tactics start with a message built to resemble something already recognized: a shipping update, an account alert, or a note that appears to come from an institution you actually deal with. Some are sloppy enough to spot right away. Typos, for example. Others replicate a logo and format closely enough that the difference is hard to catch at a glance. Losses tied to these kinds of impersonation attempts topped $16 billion (U.S.) in 2025, a 25 percent increase over the year before. More than 12,400 of these victims lost more than $100,000 (U.S.) each, and the average reported loss across elder fraud victims that year was $38,500 (U.S.). The detail worth remembering is the source, not the content. A message asking for a password, an account number, or a confirmation click is worth verifying by typing a known address directly into a browser or by calling a number already on file, rather than the one included in the message itself.1,2,3,4 |
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The Charitable Season Draws Its Own Attention Giving increases during the holidays, and so does the number of look-alike charities set up to intercept the gifts. A name that is one word off from a well-known organization, or a web address that ends in .com instead of .org, is often the only visible difference. Before a donation goes out, it is worth confirming the organization directly rather than through a link in an email or a number shared over the phone, and paying by credit card rather than cash or a wire, since a card might carry more room to dispute a charge later. Gift Cards and Wire Requests A message asking for a gift card or a wire, dressed up as a request from someone familiar (a colleague, a family member, or an executive), is one of the more effective tactics precisely because it borrows urgency from a real relationship. A quick call to that person, using a number you know well rather than one included in the request itself, resolves most potential scams before any money moves. Credentials Are the Real Prize Behind many of these attempts is a simpler goal: a password or a login. A distinct, longer password for financial accounts, paired with multifactor authentication where available, blocks a large share of these attempts before they begin. Reviewing account statements regularly and setting up alerts for unusual activity can catch the rest. If the Return Sounds Unusual, So Should the Response Toward the end of the year, offers promising outsized returns for very little effort tend to circulate more widely, particularly on social media. The pattern is consistent enough to be useful: if an opportunity looks too good given the effort involved, that gap is the signal worth acting on. What This Means for You Don’t spend the season on edge. Santa and Frosty aren’t out to get you. But the holidays call for some caution. If anything reaches you this season that feels slightly off, check it twice, and see if it goes on the “naughty list.” |
1. FBI.gov, August 17, 2026 |
Holiday Scams & Cybersecurity
