The holidays are meant for closing out the year strong, celebrating your team, and maybe even sneaking in a little PTO. But for cybercriminals? It’s open season.
Last December, a finance clerk got a text from her “CEO” asking her to grab a stack of Apple gift cards for clients—$3,000 worth. Scratch the backs. Send the codes. The clerk paused, but with holiday chaos swirling and the name matching the boss’s, she moved fast. By the time she realized something was off, it was too late. The cards were drained, and the scammer vanished.
But that’s just the warm-up act.
Around the same time, a global manufacturing company called Orion S.A. got hit with a more sinister scheme: fake wire transfer requests that looked 100% legit—complete with familiar email threads and urgent instructions. One employee followed orders, not realizing they were talking to a criminal. The result? Over $60 million gone. Just like that.
If you think your Boston-area business is too small to land on a scammer’s radar, think again. In 2023 alone, gift card scams cost companies more than $217 million. And in 2024, a staggering 73% of all cyberattacks were business email compromises.
The holiday season is a goldmine for hackers. Your team is busy, distracted, and handling more transactions than usual. That’s why now is the time to get ahead of the top scams targeting small businesses.
🎁 The Top 5 Holiday Scams Targeting Your Team
- The “Gift Card Grab” – aka the $3,000 Text Trap
The Play: A scammer impersonates an exec and asks an employee to buy gift cards for “clients” or “holiday appreciation.”
The Fix: Implement a no-gift-card-without-approval policy, and train your team to ignore any text or email asking for gift cards. No exceptions. - Vendor Payment Hijacks
The Play: Fraudsters send “updated” bank details for vendors—often right before big year-end bills are due. One local town in Massachusetts lost nearly half a million this way.
The Fix: Use the "Phone Call Rule"—always verify banking changes using a known number, never the one in the email. - Fake Delivery Notifications
The Play: Phishing emails pretending to be UPS, FedEx, or USPS ask you to click a link to “reschedule” or “track” a package.
The Fix: Train employees to manually go to the carrier’s site and never click links in delivery emails. - Malware in “Holiday Schedule” Attachments
The Play: Emails with attachments like “Holiday_Party_List.xls” or “Christmas_Schedule.pdf” are laced with malware.
The Fix: Block macros, scan all attachments, and encourage a “when in doubt, don’t click” culture. - Bogus Charity Campaigns
The Play: Fraudsters mimic popular charities or fake a “company match” to trick staff into donating through fake sites.
The Fix: Share a vetted list of approved charities and run all donations through official channels.
🛡️ Why These Attacks Work (And How You Shut Them Down)
The bad guys don’t send goofy spam anymore. Today’s scams are slick, researched, and tailored to your business. They look like real invoices, come from familiar names, and hit when your team is stretched thin.
But here’s the good news: just a few proactive steps can dramatically reduce your risk.
- Phishing Simulations reduce the chance of falling for a scam by 60%.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) blocks 99% of unauthorized logins.
- Simple policies, like phone-verifying big transactions, can save your entire bottom line.
✅ Your Holiday Cybersecurity Checklist
Before things get too festive, run through this list:
🔐 The Two-Person Rule: Require verbal confirmation for any transaction over your set limit.
🎁 Gift Card Policy: No gift card purchases over email or text. Ever.
📞 Vendor Check Protocol: All banking changes verified by phone using stored contact info.
🔐 MFA Everywhere: E-mail, cloud accounts, banking—lock it all down.
👥 Team Briefing: Use real-life scam examples to educate your employees.
🎄 The Real Cost of a Scam Isn’t Just the Money
Sure, Orion lost $60 million—but even smaller losses can hit small businesses harder:
- Productivity stalls while your team scrambles to respond
- Customer trust takes a hit if data’s compromised
- Insurance premiums spike
- And worst of all? You’re stuck cleaning up the mess during the busiest time of the year
The average cost of a single business email compromise? $129,000. For many small businesses, that’s the difference between holiday cheer and holiday chaos.
🎁 Give Your Business the Gift of Peace of Mind
The holidays should be about growth, connection, and celebration—not fighting fires and chasing down wire fraud.
One well-timed team meeting, a few smart policies, and some expert backup are all it takes to stay secure.
Want a second set of eyes on your security before December hits?
📞 Schedule a free 15-minute discovery call with our team. We’ll help you spot vulnerabilities and lock things down fast.
Because the best gift you can give your business this season is peace of mind.
