How to spot, avoid, and report holiday scams

Key Takeaways

• Holiday scams surge due to increased online shopping, rushed decision-making, and more sophisticated phishing and impersonation attempts.

• Knowing how to spot, avoid, and report scams is one of the strongest ways to protect your family — especially with record high numbers facing teens and seniors.

• Greenlight Family Shield provides financial and identity protection for all ages, helping families detect suspicious activity and recover more quickly if fraud occurs.

Holiday scams are rising. Here’s what families need to know.

Nearly 9 in 10 adults in the U.S. (89%) have experienced at least one type of fraud, according to the 2025 AARP Holiday Shopping and Scams Report. Fake shipping alerts, phony charities, and gift card scams were among the most commonly reported.

More shopping. More opportunity.

A surge in digital commerce during the holiday season gives scammers more opportunities to target people, whether they’re buying gifts, sending packages, or donating to charity. A sense of urgency from limited-time deals, like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, or the tendency to rush during a busy time of year can push shoppers to act quickly instead of thinking critically.

Scams are becoming more convincing — and harder to detect

Fraudsters now use advanced tactics like realistic fake websites, spoofed delivery texts, cloned retailer ads, and even AI-generated messages. These scams closely mimic trusted retailers, making them harder to identify even by tech-savvy shoppers.

Education is one of the strongest defenses

The best way to prevent fraud is to learn how to recognize and avoid it — and teach your loved ones, too. With tools like Greenlight Family Shield, families can share proactive protection across generations. Family Shield monitors financial accounts, flags suspicious activity, and provides powerful protection, including:

• Up to $100K in deceptive transfer fraud coverage*

• Up to $1M in identity theft coverage for primary account holders and supported adults*

• Credit, identity, and dark web monitoring**

Learn how to spot, avoid, and report scams this season — and keep your family safe.

Spot these common holiday scams

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Online shopping scams

Scammers create fake storefronts or listings with “can’t-miss” prices on high-demand items, like game consoles, designer bags, electronics, or kids’ toys.  

• No customer service contact or unclear return policies

• Recently created websites or social media pages

• Fake tracking numbers or no delivery information

Impersonation scams

Scammers pretend to be a family member or friend in urgent need of money or help.

• Messages claiming they’ve lost their wallet or can’t access their account

• Requests for quick payments through gift cards, wire transfers, or P2P apps

• Urgent language like “I need help right now”

Nonpayment scams

Scammers might ask sellers to complete the sale “off-platform” or send fake payment screenshots.  

• Buyer refuses to communicate through the marketplace

• Pressure to ship before you receive funds

• Overpayment requests followed by refund demands

Gift card scams

Gift cards remain one of the most common scam tools because they’re fast and nearly impossible to trace.  

• Demands for payment in gift cards

• Requests to show or read the codes

• Tamper with gift cards in stores to steal balances before purchase

Charity scams

Fundraisers for fake or copycat “charities” that collect donations but never pass them on

• Emotional requests pushing you to “donate now”

• Look-alike names or websites mimicking real nonprofits

• Requests for gift cards, wire transfers, or unusual payment methods

Delivery scams

Scammers send texts or emails claiming there’s a delivery issue with USPS, UPS, Amazon, or FedEx to steal information.

• Prompts to “verify” your account credentials

• Requests for payment

• Links to fake login pages to collect personal data  

Avoid scams with these expert strategies

Slow down to recognize risks

Scammers rely on urgency. Before acting:

• Be cautious with messages asking for quick payments.

• Don’t click links in unexpected emails or texts.

• If it feels too good — or too urgent — to be true, pause.

Take steps to ensure you’re secure

A few habits to reduce risk:

• Verify businesses using official websites or phone numbers.

• Never share passwords, security codes, or payment details.

• Enable passkeys or multi-factor authentication across accounts.

Know how to keep family data safe.

Strengthen digital and financial security:

• Use secure payment methods like credit cards on reputable sites.

• Discuss online risks as a family — kids and seniors are common targets.

• Report suspicious messages or attempts immediately and learn how to recover safely.

Teach your family to stay safe online

Protect your personal and financial information

Passwords. Keep your passwords strong and unique. Use two-factor authentication when possible, so that you will receive an email or text message to verify it’s really you signing in. Be careful what personal information you share online, such as pet names, schools you attended, or anything that could give scammers clues about your password or security questions.

Login credentials. Don’t share any account information with others. This includes usernames, passwords, PINs, and any one-time codes that you may receive for an account, which could indicate someone is trying to use your two-factor authentication to gain access.

Transactions. Keep an eye out for suspicious activity on your financial accounts. If you believe that a criminal may have gained access to a device or an account, contact your financial institutions immediately to protect your accounts and avoid losses.

Money. Never send money, checks, gift cards, or wire information without verifying the person or business directly. Be skeptical about unsolicited communications and always confirm their legitimacy. Check the Better Business Bureau and search online. Credit cards were the most common payment method for fraud in 2024, but bank transfers or bank payments had the highest overall losses. Someone asking you to buy multiple gift cards to pay for a transaction or help them in a bind is a common scam. 

Use technology to stay secure

Monitor financial activity. With , you and your trusted contacts can catch suspicious financial activity before it becomes a problem. Family Shield monitors most checking, savings, investing, and credit card accounts for red flags — including large transfers, low balances, and overdrafts.

Block robocalls. Unsolicited calls are a common tactic that scammers use. You can reduce the chances of becoming a victim by limiting calls that are received, such as from databases of known scam numbers.

Use antivirus software. Install reputable software on devices to help prevent phishing attacks or malware, which is a type of software designed to cause harm to computers or their users, such as viruses or spyware. Enable pop-up blockers, and be careful before downloading. Be sure to keep your software updated to guard against the latest threats.

Report scams or suspicious activity

How to report

If fraud happens, it’s important to act immediately to minimize damage. 

• Contact your bank or payment method to freeze any further transactions.

• Research whether you have access to other protections. For example, includes up to $1 million in identity theft coverage and up to $100,000 deceptive transfer fraud coverage, which can help if you or a loved one are convinced to send money to an imposter acting as a trusted person or business.

• Report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission or FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), even if you avoided the scam and didn’t lose any money. For mail-related scams, contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. 

What evidence to save

• Screenshots of messages, listings, or emails

• URLs or profiles involved

• Receipts or payment records

• Tracking numbers

• Dates, times, and communication history

Protect your finances this holiday season

Today’s scams are more sophisticated than ever, and even savvy consumers lose money to fraud. Monitor all your accounts, flag unusual activity, and get peace of mind with added protection from Greenlight Family Shield.

• Up to $100K deceptive transfer fraud coverage*

• Up to $1M identity theft coverage*

• Credit, identity, and dark web monitoring**

 Learn more 

Final tips for a safe and happy holiday

Financial fraud isn’t slowing down, but building awareness and taking proactive measures can protect you and your family. Talk about new scam trends and share prevention tips with kids, teens, parents, and grandparents. By staying vigilant and using trusted tools, you can help keep all generations safe this holiday season.

This blog post is provided “as is” and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.

*Insurance offered by Acrisure, LLC is provided by ACE American Insurance Company and its U.S.-based Chubb underwriting company affiliates. chubb.com. Additional details can be viewed here. See here for policy information. Insurance Products are not insured by the FDIC or any federal government agency and are not a deposit or other obligation of, or guaranteed by, any bank or bank affiliate.

**Premium monitoring services are offered by Experian.