FBI warns email users as holiday scams surge

Holiday shopping creates a perfect storm for cybercriminals. 

These schemes move fast, and victims often do not realize what happened until their bank accounts show charges they never made.

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The agency highlights four major schemes that spike during the season. They include non-delivery scams, where you pay for items that never arrive; non-payment scams, where sellers get nothing after shipping items; auction fraud, where the product is not what the listing claimed; and gift card fraud, where criminals push victims to pay with prepaid cards.

These attacks start with social engineering. Criminals impersonate bank workers, customer service staff or fraud teams. They send fake emails, texts or calls that claim your account has a problem. Victims then face pressure to share login credentials, multi-factor authentication codes or one-time passcodes.

Criminals also create phishing sites that look like real banking or payroll portals. Some even buy search ads so the fake sites appear at the top of the results. Once a victim enters their information, scammers log in, lock out the real owner and move money. Many transfers go through cryptocurrency wallets to hide the trail.

You can lower your risk with a few simple habits.

Avoid opening links or files in emails, websites or social media posts you did not expect. Also, use strong antivirus software to catch malware if you accidentally click on something unsafe.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

If a message asks you to update your password or account information, find the company's phone number yourself and call to verify it.

Scammers create a sense of urgency. Slow down and confirm what you are being told.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren't cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It's what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

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Use a data removal service to pull your information off data broker sites. This reduces the personal details criminals use to craft convincing phishing messages.

Look for odd spellings or domains that seem out of place. Banks never send sign-in links that redirect through unfamiliar sites.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

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The FBI says victims should contact their financial institutions as soon as they notice fraud. Request a recall or reversal and ask for a hold harmless letter or letter of indemnity. Then reset every credential connected to the exposed password, including any account that uses the same login.

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Cybercriminals count on distraction during the holiday rush. Staying alert helps keep your inbox, money and personal information safer. Awareness is your strongest tool, and even small steps make a big difference when scams grow more advanced every year.

What scams have you seen hit your inbox this season, and how did you handle them? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide - free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter. 

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