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Six Holiday-Related Scams to Watch for in 2026
The festive season creates a ‘perfect storm’ of activity and distraction for criminals to perpetrate delivery and shopping scams, gift card fraud and more
5-minute read
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Key takeaways
- Holiday activity and distractions can make delivery, shopping and other scams more effective.
- Warning signs include unexpected fees, gift card payment requests and messages pressuring you to click a link.
- Contact retailers, shippers, hosts, charities and travel providers directly instead of using links in unsolicited messages.
Linda, 77, was at home in Houston recently when she received a notification from a delivery service. It said that a package was on its way but required a $20 fee. She paid. Then the delivery service began emailing her with requests for additional fees in the form of Apple gift cards.
Linda, who shared her story with the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline and asked us not to use her full name, says her daughter finally stepped in and said, “You don’t pay for a package with Apple gift cards,” but by then she’d had about $5,000 stolen by the criminals behind the fraud.
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Delivery scams are among the forms of fraud that spike around the holidays, when the whirlwind of distraction and activity during the season creates “a perfect storm” for criminals, says Darius Kingsley, head of consumer fraud and scam prevention at JPMorgan Chase. “As the holidays approach, you often let your guard down. You’re often stressed, and you may be less likely to think critically about a lot of the communications you’re getting.”
About 90 percent of U.S. consumers say they have experienced or been targeted by at least one form of fraud that tend to be more prevalent during the holiday season, including bogus charity requests, online shopping scams and fake package-delivery notices, according to a 2025 AARP Research survey titled Fraud Persists in the Season of Giving.
And today’s fraud is harder to spot. AI has helped criminals create more convincing websites, texts and emails, says Kingsley: “The scammers are just getting better at making websites that look really, really realistic.” That makes it more important than ever to understand how they operate.
Here are six scams to watch for this season.
Online shopping scams. You see a social media ad for the perfect gift, click through to an attractive site and place an order. The item never arrives, or what shows up is of poor quality.
How to avoid them: Rather than clicking on a link in an ad, go to your web browser and type in the address of the company purportedly offering the great deal. Kingsley also suggests shopping with trusted retailers and paying with a credit card, which has more consumer protections than other methods. If anyone asks you to pay for a product with a gift card, it’s likely a scam (see below).
Delivery scams. You receive a text that appears to be from a shipper like UPS, FedEx or the U.S. Postal Service about a package delivery problem. The link may lead to a request for fees, additional taxes or personal information. The scam is especially effective during the holidays, when you’re more likely to be expecting or mailing packages, says Amy Nofziger, senior director of fraud victim support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network, “so the notification does make you pause and think, Could this be real?”
How to avoid them: Go to the source. If you’re concerned that there might be a delivery issue, contact the service or seller directly rather than through the link you received.
Invitation scams. A fake emailed invite may look as if it came through Evite, Paperless Post or Punchbowl. But clicking the link can allow the criminals to steal your login information or infect your device with malware.
How to avoid them: Don’t click an invitation’s link without checking the sender’s email and, better yet, contacting the host. Keep in mind that a legitimate invitation “will never ask you to log in or download anything” just to view the invite or RSVP to the event, Paperless Post tells AARP.
Charity scams. You see an urgent social media appeal for what appears to be a worthy cause. But sham charities use fake websites, look-alike names and pressure tactics to steal from generous donors.
How to avoid them: Check charities through Charity Watch, Charity Navigator or GuideStar. If a charity contacts you, don’t click links; go to its site independently.
Travel scams. You spot a great flight deal or vacation rental listing for a New Year’s getaway, but it may be fake or duplicated from a legitimate site. Travelers are also seeing “reservation hijack” scams, in which criminals compromise hotel or booking systems and then contact travelers with real details about their stay, claiming their payment didn’t go through, according to Iskander Sanchez-Rola, senior director of AI and innovation for Norton, an online privacy and security brand.
How to avoid them: Don’t click links in travel ads on social media or in emails or texts about your plans. If you receive a notice that there’s a problem with your hotel reservation, look at your original booking confirmation and contact the hotel directly or log in to the booking app.
Gift card scams. You see a deal online for discounted gift cards. Purchase them, though, and they might be expired, if you receive them at all.
How to avoid them: Buy gift cards from a store or send e-gift cards purchased directly from the retailer’s site, not a third-party seller.
If you experience a scam
Stop communicating with the possible criminal.
Report the crime. File a report with your local police and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov). You can also contact the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 for advice and support.
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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