AI and automation feed rise in holiday scams

The holiday season has long been a peak time for scammers as much as it has for retailers. But new research from Check Point Software reveals how AI and automation are fueling the biggest surge in holiday scams ever recorded.

The study shows over 33,500 Christmas-themed phishing emails flagged in just 14 days and over 10,000 fake social media advertisements being created daily. This is coupled with fake retail sites and social media giveaways surging around the globe.

The most successful holiday scam worldwide relates to delivery messages. AI-generated smishing messages mimic alerts from logistics giants like Royal Mail, FedEx, UPS, and DPD concerning missed deliveries. People are likely to be particularly vulnerable to these scams at this time of year when they’re actually expecting packages, but of course clicking the link leads to credential theft or payment fraud.

Fake retail sites are also becoming a problem, threat actors can now create entire eCommerce stores offering fake ‘Christmas mega deals.’ These sites often include AI-driven chat assistants to simulate real customer service systems and add an element of authenticity.

Social media scams often center around cloning brand pages and claiming victims have ‘won a Christmas prize,’ for which the scammers then request a small ‘shipping fee’ in order to capture card details.

Of course none of these things are entirely new but AI is making them more convincing, eliminating many of the red flags which traditionally indicated a scam.

You can read more including details of how to avoid falling victim to these scams on the Check Point blog.

Have you spotted any holiday scams? Have you been a victim? Let us know in the comments.

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