The holiday lights are twinkling, the cookie tins are filling up, and somewhere between “limited-time sale” and “two-day shipping guarantee,” cybercrooks are sharpening their scalpels. Every year, the rush to snag deals on Cyber Monday and Christmas turns living rooms into digital battlegrounds, and shoppers into first-line defenders. But in 2025, this isn’t just about snagging the last discounted sweater. It’s about protecting your identity, your financial data, and your peace of mind.
During the holidays, scam activity spikes like poorly regifted tubesocks. According to a 2025 report, 27% of people on social media encounter scams daily during the season, and 15% of marketplace buyers face a scam every day.
Meanwhile, authorities like the Federal Bureau of Investigation warn that non-delivery and credit-card fraud — classic hallmarks of holiday trickery — cost consumers hundreds of millions.
It is not nostalgia to remember the simpler scams of yesteryear — the ones where you paid and never got your item, or the seller disappeared after receiving your money. Those still exist. In 2023 alone, IC3 counted thousands of victims whose “payment up front, delivery never” scams cost over $309 million, with an additional $173 million lost to credit-card fraud.
But the modern criminal has traded in cookie-cutter fraud for high-tech stealth, and we’re talking malware under the tree, not just missing parcels.
Take phishing: those friendly-looking, gift-themed emails that claim your package is “stuck,” your account is “flagged,” or your payment needs “verification.” It’s no longer just about tricking you into handing over your card number.
Increasingly, malicious payloads are the hidden presents inside — documents you’re pressured to open, which then quietly install trojans or backdoors on your device. Security researchers report a sharp rise in phishing emails masked as retailer communications, especially tuned to prey on seasonal urgency.
Meanwhile, ad-driven traps — “malvertising” — proliferate as shoppers chase sales. According to Malwarebytes, 58% of users encountered ad-related malware during the 2025 holiday season; 27% of those exposed became victims.
That means a simple click on what appears to be the perfect discount could redirect you to a fake storefront, trigger a hidden download, or steal your card info before you even hit “Pay.”
That’s not to cast a wet blanket on ad blockers or browser extensions — but to be realistic about them. A well-designed ad blocker can be like a sturdy winter coat, helping shield you from malvertising, tracking, and shady pop-ups. But a poorly maintained or malicious blocker? That’s more like wrapping yourself in tinsel and calling it security. Some free or shady ad-block extensions harvest data or break checkout flows, even hiding important security cues (like secure-site padlocks) needed to verify an online store’s legitimacy.
If you use a modern Apple device, it’s worth flipping on Lockdown Mode (available on macOS and iOS). Originally designed to protect high-risk individuals, Lockdown Mode hardens your device by disabling certain web and messaging features attackers like to exploit. It won’t make you invincible — and some researchers warn it can induce a false sense of security by obscuring exactly which features are disabled and which threats remain.
But during the slipstream of holiday shopping frenzy — when you’re rushing, clicking, and stress-buying on discount adrenaline — having fewer moving parts on your device reduces the chance that a lure will sneak in undetected.
Combined with caution, these tools help, but they’re just candies on top of the gingerbread house. The real defense remains common sense and cyber hygiene. If you receive an unexpected email claiming there’s an issue with your purchase or account: don’t click. Instead, navigate directly to the retailer’s official site (don’t use links embedded in the email) or open the company’s official app yourself. If something doesn’t feel right — like a link that redirects you, or an amount that seems off — stop, log out, and check your account or credit-card statement directly. Prefer payment methods that offer buyer protection — a credit card or a payment platform with fraud safeguards — rather than wire transfers, gift cards, or naked card numbers.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) or passkeys on your shopping and payment accounts wherever possible. Use strong, unique passwords. Keep your operating system, browser, and any shopping apps or plugins updated. And next time you see a “Black Friday sale ends in 2 hours!” banner, consider whether you’re shopping or being rushed — because cybercriminals count on that urgency.
From a policy and societal perspective, it’s tempting to shrug and say “buyer beware.” But when losses from online scams jumped to a staggering $16.6 billion in 2024, according to IC3, it became a lot less about misplaced blame and much more about predictable risk in a poorly defended landscape.
A robust response should include not just consumer vigilance, but real-time threat intelligence sharing by payment networks, and widespread public-education on basic digital hygiene.
After all, holiday shopping should deliver joy — not a horror-show of reversed charges, frozen cards, or identity theft claims. Imagine telling your grandsomething at the holiday dinner table about how you snagged that “50% off” deal — and never mentioning the fraud investigator, the password breach, or the late-night call to the bank.
Keep your cookies locked away, your password as long as Grandma’s fruitcake recipe, and your downloads scrutinized. Because in this season of goodwill and deals, the only thing that should steal from your wallet is the cat knocking over the ornaments — not a shadow lurking behind a malicious attachment.
Editor’s Note: It’s the holiday season, which means PJ Media VIP’s Black Friday sale is back!
Now through Monday evening, 11:59 PM ET, receive 60% OFF an annual VIP, VIP Gold, or VIP Platinum membership with promo code FIGHT.
