Christmas Scams to Watch Out For: Protect Your Small Business This Festive Season
The holiday season is a time for celebration, but it’s also peak season for scammers looking to take advantage of small businesses. As your focus shifts to end-of-year goals and Christmas preparations, cybercriminals and fraudsters are working overtime. Here are the top five scams currently impacting small businesses in the UK—and tips on how to stay protected.
1. Fake Invoices
Scammers send realistic-looking invoices for goods or services your business didn’t order, hoping they’ll slip through unnoticed during a busy time.
How to stay safe: Train your team to double-check all invoices against purchase orders. Use secure software to track payments and verify details before processing.
2. Gift Card Scams
Fraudsters impersonate senior staff or trusted suppliers, asking employees to purchase gift cards for “clients” or “emergencies,” only to pocket the codes.
How to stay safe: Establish clear policies around gift card purchases and verify requests directly, especially if they come via email or text.
3. Delivery Scams
With increased parcel activity during Christmas, scammers send fake delivery notifications with links to malicious websites or demand fees for uncollected items.
How to stay safe: Educate your team not to click on unexpected links in emails or texts. Use official carrier apps or websites to track deliveries.
4. Charity Donation Fraud
Fraudsters pose as legitimate charities, appealing to your goodwill during the festive season, but funnel donations into their pockets instead.
How to stay safe: Verify the legitimacy of charities via the UK Charity Commission before donating. Avoid giving in response to unsolicited calls or emails.
5. E-Commerce Fraud
Small businesses running online stores are at risk of fraudsters using stolen card details for purchases or submitting chargeback claims for legitimate orders.
How to stay safe: Use payment systems with strong fraud detection, require verification for transactions and monitor for unusual activity on your store.
Final Thoughts
Scammers often rely on the chaos of the Christmas season to catch businesses off guard. Stay vigilant, educate your staff, and put security measures in place to protect your business from these common threats. A few preventative steps now can save you from stress and financial loss during the most wonderful time of the year!
Need help with securing your IT systems or training your team? Contact us today for expert advice. Stay safe, and have a scam-free Christmas!
How Can We Help?
Call us at 01483 346910 or fill out the form below.
Featured Posts
Christmas Scams to Watch Out For: Protect Your Small Business This Festive Season
The holiday season is a time for celebration, but it’s also peak season for scammers looking to take advantage of small businesses. As your focus shifts to end-of-year goals and Christmas preparations, cybercriminals and fraudsters are working overtime. Here are the top five scams currently impacting small businesses in the UK—and tips on how to stay protected.
1. Fake Invoices
Scammers send realistic-looking invoices for goods or services your business didn’t order, hoping they’ll slip through unnoticed during a busy time.
How to stay safe: Train your team to double-check all invoices against purchase orders. Use secure software to track payments and verify details before processing.
2. Gift Card Scams
Fraudsters impersonate senior staff or trusted suppliers, asking employees to purchase gift cards for “clients” or “emergencies,” only to pocket the codes.
How to stay safe: Establish clear policies around gift card purchases and verify requests directly, especially if they come via email or text.
3. Delivery Scams
With increased parcel activity during Christmas, scammers send fake delivery notifications with links to malicious websites or demand fees for uncollected items.
How to stay safe: Educate your team not to click on unexpected links in emails or texts. Use official carrier apps or websites to track deliveries.
4. Charity Donation Fraud
Fraudsters pose as legitimate charities, appealing to your goodwill during the festive season, but funnel donations into their pockets instead.
How to stay safe: Verify the legitimacy of charities via the UK Charity Commission before donating. Avoid giving in response to unsolicited calls or emails.
5. E-Commerce Fraud
Small businesses running online stores are at risk of fraudsters using stolen card details for purchases or submitting chargeback claims for legitimate orders.
How to stay safe: Use payment systems with strong fraud detection, require verification for transactions and monitor for unusual activity on your store.
Final Thoughts
Scammers often rely on the chaos of the Christmas season to catch businesses off guard. Stay vigilant, educate your staff, and put security measures in place to protect your business from these common threats. A few preventative steps now can save you from stress and financial loss during the most wonderful time of the year!
Need help with securing your IT systems or training your team? Contact us today for expert advice. Stay safe, and have a scam-free Christmas!
