According to Infosecurity Magazine, security firm Check Point has detected a massive wave of AI-powered holiday scams. In just the past 14 days, they’ve identified 33,500 unique Christmas-themed phishing emails and over 10,000 seasonal scam ads on social media. The company recorded a 100% increase in fake delivery scams for November and December compared to the same period last year. AI tools are now being used to craft flawless phishing messages in local languages and build convincing fake e-commerce sites with chatbots and checkout pages. The report also warns that most of these social media scams originate from accounts created within the last 90 days, and common lures include fake mega-deals, fraudulent charity appeals, and urgent delivery notices.
Why This Is Different
Look, holiday scams are as predictable as fruitcake. But here’s the thing: AI is fundamentally changing the game. It’s not just about poor grammar and weird logos anymore. Now, threat actors can use AI to generate perfect, brand-consistent copy in any language. They can spin up an entire fake retail website—complete with a functional cart, fake order confirmations, and a bogus tracking page—in a fraction of the time it used to take. Basically, the barrier to entry for creating a convincing scam has plummeted. And that’s bad news for everyone.
The Delivery Smish Panic
That 100% jump in fake delivery scams? It’s a masterclass in timing and psychology. Everyone’s expecting packages in December. So when you get a text that looks exactly like a UPS or FedEx alert, complete with a tracking link, your brain is primed to click. The AI isn’t just writing the message; it’s designing the entire fraudulent flow. You click, land on a site that perfectly mimics the courier’s login page, and hand over your credentials. Or, you’re prompted to pay a “small re-delivery fee” with your card. It’s slick, it’s fast, and it preys on our holiday stress. Can you really tell the difference anymore?
Fake Stores And Deepfake Calls
And it goes way beyond text messages. Check Point highlights fake e-commerce stores with AI chatbots ready to answer your questions. Think about that for a second. You’re on a site selling a “too-good-to-be-true” deal on a new tablet, you chat with a support bot to confirm shipping, and it all seems legit. The whole experience is manufactured. On the voice side, we’re entering the deepfake era. While not as widespread yet, AI-powered call scripts—and even cloned voices—are leveling up “vishing” (voice phishing) attacks. Imagine getting a call from what sounds like your bank’s fraud department. The voice is familiar. The urgency is palpable. That’s the scary frontier we’re approaching.
What You Can Actually Do
So, what’s the defense against an AI that can mimic human communication and design? The old rules apply, but you need to follow them religiously. Never click a link in an unsolicited message—period. Go directly to the company’s website by typing the URL yourself. Be supremely skeptical of any urgent notification or prize claim, especially on social media. And here’s a big one: never share personal or financial info unless *you* initiated the contact with a verified company. In an age of perfect digital forgeries, the best tool is still a healthy dose of human skepticism. If it seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. That’s one piece of old advice the AI hasn’t managed to crack yet.
