Tis the Season for Giving — and for Scams

Scams and fraud tend to spike around the holidays, when people are busy, distracted, and spending more money than usual. As year-end approaches, this is an ideal time to revisit the most common scam types and the simple habits that help protect your finances.

Why Scams Surge at Year-End

During the holidays, criminals exploit higher online shopping, charitable giving, travel, and year-end financial activity. They lean on urgency (“act now”), emotion (fear, generosity, or loneliness), and seemingly routine requests tied to gifts, travel, or money movement.

Seven Scams to Watch this Season

1. Romance scams: Loneliness around the holidays can make unsolicited online “relationships” feel especially appealing, but requests for money, secrecy, or help moving funds remain major red flags. Be wary if you have never met in person and emergencies always arise right before a holiday or planned visit.
2. Sweepstakes and lottery scams: Holiday “giveaways” and “special drawings” may claim you’ve won cash, a car, or a trip, but require a small fee or personal information to release the prize. Legitimate contests do not ask you to pay upfront or share bank details to receive winnings.
3. Government impersonators: Messages about year-end tax issues, benefits changes, or overdue penalties may claim to be from the IRS, Social Security, Medicare, or law enforcement and demand immediate payment. Real agencies do not call out of the blue to threaten arrest, revoke benefits, or require payment via wire, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.
4. Tech or “fraud support” scams: Increased holiday shopping gives scammers more opportunities to send fake alerts about suspicious charges, delivery problems, or hacked accounts, often pushing you to call a number or grant remote access. Unsolicited pop‑ups or calls that demand you log in, or act immediately are strong signs to hang up and contact the company using a trusted number instead.
5. Real estate wire scams: For anyone closing on a home near year-end, spoofed emails posing as your agent or title company may provide “updated” wiring instructions for closing funds. Always confirm these instructions verbally using a known phone number before sending any wire.
6. Business email compromise: Year-end bonuses, vendor payments, and payroll updates give criminals more chances to send fake emails requesting gift cards, changes to account numbers, or updates to direct deposit details. Watch for slight misspellings in addresses, unexpected urgency, and requests to bypass normal procedures.
7. Investment and “pig‑butchering” scams: Holiday bonuses and year-end portfolio reviews can trigger unsolicited contacts touting “can’t miss” investments or crypto opportunities, often from someone who has spent weeks building rapport. High, low-risk returns or pressure to invest quickly—especially via offshore or opaque platforms—are key warning signs.
   

Simple Holiday Safety Habits

Slow down whenever a request feels urgent, emotional, or unusually generous, and verify using contact information you look up yourself, not what is provided in the message. Never rely solely on caller ID, links, or phone numbers embedded in emails, texts, or pop‑ups.

Be especially cautious with wires, gift cards, and cryptocurrency during the holidays, as these are favored by scammers because they are hard to reverse. Do not grant remote access to your device unless you initiated the call to a known, official support line.

For large transactions such as real estate closings or significant transfers, verbally confirm instructions with the known institution before sending funds. For investment opportunities, check credentials with regulators, insist on written details, and be skeptical of any offer that sounds better than it should.

When In Doubt, Pause and Call

If something feels off, treat that as your cue to stop and get a second opinion—especially this time of year. Talk with a trusted contact and reach out to our team before sending money, changing payment instructions, or sharing sensitive information; a quick conversation now can prevent a costly mistake later.

Share this article with friends, family, and colleagues to help them stay alert to holiday scams and protect their finances during the year-end season.

PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF CURRENT OR FUTURE RESULTS. Examples of historical information included in this presentation do not, nor are they intended to, constitute a promise of similar future results. Specific client portfolio allocations, risks and returns can and may deviate from these examples depending on accounts and types of investments available through each account. Future market views by WJ Interests, LLC may vary significantly from the historical examples presented herein and no one receiving this summary should assume that WJ Interests, LLC will be able to replicate successful views in the future.