Holiday cheer meets holiday scams! Fake Amazon alerts are flooding inboxes, texts, and calls to steal your info. Here’s how to outsmart them.
6 holiday scams you need to know about
Whoa, we blinked and it’s mid-November! The days are shorter, your to-do list is longer, and scammers are ready to catch you off guard. Luckily, you’ve got me on your side with the top holiday scams.
📲 ‘Hi, I’m calling from Amazon’
Criminals and AI voice bots are calling, emailing and texting, claiming to be Amazon employees. Oh, no, your account is on hold! Or there’s been suspicious activity you need to deal with now. They’ll ask you for your payment info — that’s a glaring red flag.
Stay safe: Only put payment details for Amazon directly into the website or the official app. If you get one of those calls, hang up and Google the phone number. I bet you’ll see reports from others who got the same call.
💻 An offer you can’t refuse
There’s an email in your inbox from Macy’s, and whoa! Everything is 50% to 70% off! Click the link, head to the site and all looks normal. Once you check out, though, you’re in big trouble.
Scammers use real brand assets (like logos, fonts and photos) to make you think Macy’s or another big retailer is having a major holiday sale. Then, they direct you to a site that looks like the real thing … but it’s not.
Stay safe: Always, always triple-check the URL. If you’re not sure of a retailer’s website, search in your browser, but don’t click any sponsored results. Type in the address yourself if you know it.
📦 Your package can’t be delivered
You receive a text or email saying your order is stuck at a shipping center. With all the online shopping we do, you probably don’t remember every purchase. Click on the link they sent you and you’re well on your way to a phishing scam.
Stay safe: FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service will never text you from an unknown number. If you’re worried about a delivery, call the shipping company directly. In emails, watch out for any subtle misspellings in the email address or the sender’s name. Block and report anything fishy.
🤑 The fake seasonal job
Area codes and numbers that are probably spam
Whew, the election’s over. The onslaught of robocalls and texts is over, too … right? Nope.
There are fewer political calls and messages, sure, but there are always scammers and spammers. It may be easier for these creeps to get a hold of us now that our phones aren’t constantly lighting up with election-related notifications.
Another scam heading our way: Cyber authorities in Switzerland are warning about malicious QR codes being sent through snail mail. Fraudsters are urging people to scan and download a new Severe Weather Warning app, but it’s actually malware. Once installed, hackers can take over your phone, steal info from your banking apps and stay hidden from detection. If it’s working there, it’s coming to the U.S., too.
For only $11
You can get a can of air from beautiful Lake Como in Italy. Sellers think it’ll appeal to American tourists because, ya know, George Clooney bought a villa there years ago. Anyone want to buy a can of air off Camelback Mountain for $5?
Weight loss drugs sold online can make you sick
“Drop 10 pounds before Thanksgiving!” That’s all over my social media feeds because I was a dope and clicked on a video of a gal showing off her svelte new figure.
Ads for Ozempic and other weight loss meds are everywhere. The weight loss drug biz is a $100 billion industry. I know a bunch of people who have taken Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus or one of the other options, and I bet you do, too.
Best way to stop spam texts for good
“Official notice from USPS. Your delivery is on hold.” I wonder why …
“Hi, how are you?” Who could this be?
Ex-con man Frank Abagnale: why AI is a scammer’s new best friend
He was once considered one of the most famous imposters in the world. Now, he says, artificial intelligence is going to bring on a whole new wave of scams. Plus, a dangerous selfie fail, social media sperm donors, and robberies on Facebook Marketplace.
How to spot a military romance scam w/ Kagan Dunlap
For almost 10 years, scammers have used US Marine Kagan Dunlap’s photos to fool lonely women into giving them thousands of dollars. He’s here to talk about being the unwilling face of a military romance scam. Plus, Alexa’s creepy doomsday prediction, a big cybersecurity fail, and Black Friday email scams to avoid.
Meta killed over 2 million accounts this year: Scammers were using them for pig-butchering schemes. The fake profiles lured victims into bogus investment traps. These scams mostly come from Asia, where 300,000 people have been forced to work for criminals. But why did Meta let 2 million scammers make accounts in the first place? Because they can’t “afford” to hire people since they only made $40.59 billion in the last quarter. Silly me.
🚨 No one wants to give you money for nothing: X rival Bluesky just hit over 20 million members. Big shocker (not), crypto scams are now everywhere on the platform. There’s an AI-generated pic of Mark Zuckerberg promoting a fake “MetaCoin.” Others are dangling “FREE Bitcoin & Ethereum.” Don’t take the bait; report the spam and move on.
🚨 Black Friday alert: Chinese scammers are imitating big brands like L.L. Bean and Ikea with “deals” up to 80% off. They use tracking pixels in Meta and TikTok to detect your location and translate the site so it looks legit. Don’t fall for too-good-to-be-true offers, and shop on official sites only!
Job scam warning: Retailers and shipping companies are hiring in droves ahead of the holidays. UPS, Amazon, FedEx, Target and all the rest are looking for folks, but they won’t make initial contact with you via email or text. Go to a potential employer’s website and find the “Careers” section to apply directly.
A scam in time for the holidays: “Card declined” messages are all over scammy retail sites. It’s a trick to get you to pay twice so they can steal twice the card details. Before you check out, make sure the URL starts with “https” (don’t skip the -s).
🚨 Scammers’ newest trick: This time, it’s fake arrest warrants claiming you’re facing felony charges for missing jury duty. They’re using texts and calls — a huge red flag, since the police don’t text about arrests. These warrants can look legit, with a judge’s signature and all. Pro tip: Any time you get a call from the police, call your local non-emergency line to see if the police call is real.
Attn., small-business owners: Watch out for an email that claims you’ve violated someone’s copyright. The “legal notice” document attached is malware. A real legal letter will be in the body of the email itself, saved as a PDF, and also delivered via USPS or another service. If you see a RAR or EXE file, that’s a scam — delete it.
🚨 It’s not him: Elon Musk isn’t pitching crypto investments with obscene returns all over social and YouTube — they’re deepfake videos. A Michigan resident who lost $700,000 to scammers grew suspicious when, after he sent his money, he couldn’t find any info about the crypto company. Another victim in Nevada lost $220,000. Come on … you have to be smarter than to fall for this.
🚨 PSA: Slow down: A 65-year-old woman in Maine lost $23,000 to a scammer posing as Bank of America. The thief tricked her by saying they needed her to share her screen to stop an unauthorized transaction, then they had her complete a wire transfer to “protect” her money. If you get one of these “act now” calls, don’t bite. Hang up and call your bank.
Deepfake scams: Billionaire Warren Buffett wants everyone to know he’s not endorsing any investment products or political candidates. Remember, whenever a celebrity or high-profile figure promotes something, always check their official social media accounts to confirm it’s legit.