The festive season brings increased pressure, higher email volumes, and a surge in online shopping. Unfortunately, it also brings a significant rise in cyber scams. Criminals target businesses and employees with convincing emails, texts, and phone calls that appear urgent or legitimate, hoping to trick people into clicking harmful links or sharing sensitive information. As decision-makers, now is the ideal time to ensure your teams are aware of the risks and understand how to spot and avoid common seasonal threats.
What to Look Out For
1. Fake Delivery Emails and Texts
Scammers exploit the spike in parcel traffic by imitating delivery companies. These messages often include tracking links or requests for “re-delivery fees” that lead to malware or phishing pages.
2. Suspicious Online Deals
Fraudulent websites offer unrealistic discounts, particularly on tech, gaming consoles, or popular gifts. These sites may steal card details or deliver counterfeit products.
3. Email Phishing and Invoice Fraud
Cybercriminals target finance teams and executives with emails that appear to come from suppliers, colleagues, or known brands. They often request urgent payments, password resets, or access to accounts.
4. Gift Card Scams
A classic seasonal trick: attackers impersonate senior staff requesting “urgent” gift card purchases for clients or internal rewards.
5. Voice Phishing (Vishing)
Scammers make phone calls pretending to be banks, IT support, or delivery services, pressuring staff to reveal credentials or approve payments.
Best Practices to Keep Your Organisation Safe
Educate and Remind Staff
Share guidance with your teams about common scams, especially those working in finance, HR, and customer service. Encourage a culture where questioning suspicious messages is normal and expected.
Verify Before Clicking or Paying
Employees should verify any unexpected requests via a known phone number or internal chat. Never use contact details supplied in a suspicious message.
Use Strong Access Controls
Ensure staff accounts use MFA, strong passwords, and role-based access so attackers cannot escalate privileges if one account becomes compromised.
Keep Devices Updated
Regular security updates reduce the risk of malware affecting workstations, mobile devices, and company systems.
Promote Safe Online Shopping for Staff
Remind employees to avoid shopping on work devices or using business email addresses for personal purchases. This helps contain risk and prevents corporate systems from being exposed to consumer-focused attacks.
How ITCS Global Can Help
While this isn’t a sales message, it’s important to know you aren’t alone in protecting your business. ITCS Global provides ongoing security monitoring, staff awareness training, and best-practice guidance to help prevent cyber threats all year round. If you’d like support reviewing your security posture or sharing educational material with your team, we’re here to