Staying Secure During Seasonal Scam Spikes

As online shopping, shipping activity, and digital payments increase at the end of the year, so do fraud attempts. The FBI reports that scammers consistently use this period to target both individuals and businesses with more sophisticated, multi-channel attacks. For many organizations, this can lead to financial loss, data exposure, and operational disruption.

This article highlights the most common scams seen this time of year and the steps your business can take to stay protected.

Scam Tactics on the Rise

According to recent FBI warnings, attackers are focusing on several high-impact methods:

• Non-delivery scams: You pay for goods or services that never arrive.
• Non-payment scams: Your business delivers a product or provides a service, but the buyer never pays.
• Fake online stores and marketplace listings: Scammers use look-alike websites, cloned product pages, or social media storefronts to collect payment and disappear.
• Phishing and spoofed delivery notices: Emails and texts impersonate trusted retailers or shipping companies, prompting recipients to click a link, “resolve” a delivery issue, or update billing information.
• Gift-card payment schemes: Fraudsters demand payment through gift cards or prepaid cards — a method chosen because it’s difficult to trace or reverse.

The FBI notes that non-delivery and non-payment scams alone resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses last year, with a significant increase in fraudulent purchase activity reported across major platforms.

What This Means for Businesses

Many businesses operate in environments where purchasing, invoicing, shipping, and online transactions are routine and seamless. That creates opportunities for scammers, especially when employees are moving quickly or managing a higher-than-usual volume of orders and communications.

Common risks include:

• Employees clicking spoofed shipment or invoice links
• Purchases from fraudulent vendors
• Business email compromise tied to fake order confirmations
• Stolen credentials through cloned login pages
• Unverified payment requests sent to accounting teams

Even well-trained users can miss subtle red flags when messages appear legitimate, and urgency is implied.

How to Reduce Your Risk

The best defense is a mix of awareness, verification, and strong security controls. YYTECH recommends the following:

• Verify unexpected messages. If an email or text asks you to confirm an order, resolve a delivery issue, or update your payment information, go directly to the vendor’s website rather than using the provided link.
• Check URLs carefully. Look for misspellings, unusual domain extensions, or slight variations of well-known brands.
• Use official tracking tools. For shipments, log in through the carrier’s app or website instead of following links.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA adds a strong layer of protection even if credentials are compromised.
• Keep systems updated. Unpatched devices make it easier for scammers to deploy malicious attachments or exploit known vulnerabilities.
• Provide quick refresher training. A reminder to your team about common scams can significantly reduce mistakes.

Final Guidance

Cybercriminals take advantage of the higher transaction volume and lower vigilance that typically occurs at this time of year. With intentional verification and the right technical safeguards in place, your organization can significantly reduce its exposure to these scams.

If your team would benefit from phishing-resistance tools, security awareness training, or a deeper review of your environment, Yeo & Yeo Technology can help you strengthen your defenses.