Here’s the thing, the holidays are meant to be a time of celebration and connection, not full of holiday scams, crisis management and cleanup. But for too many businesses, that is exactly what this season brings. Not because of low sales or tight staffing, but because of something even more gut wrenching, cyber scams.
Last December, a midsize company lost $3,000 in the blink of an eye. An accounts payable clerk received a text from someone posing as the CEO, urgently asking for Apple gift cards. Scratch. Send codes. Do it fast. In the chaos of year end, she followed instructions. By the time she questioned it, the money and the scammer were long gone.
Painful? Absolutely. But not nearly as brutal as what happened at Orion S.A., a chemical manufacturer in Europe. What started as a series of routine wire transfers ended with $60 million siphoned off by cybercriminals, vanishing faster than you can say audit trail.
And here is the kicker, all of it was avoidable.
Why Your Business Could Be the Next Victim of a Holiday Scam
If you think your company is too small to be on a scammer’s radar, think again. In 2023 alone, businesses lost over $217 million to gift card scams. By 2024, nearly three out of four cyber incidents involved business email compromise.
The holidays are prime hunting season. Your team is stretched thin, juggling year end tasks, closing books, shipping gifts, and trying to finish strong. Scammers know it, and they are counting on it.
Five Holiday Scams That Wreck Reputations
1. Your Boss Needs Gift Cards
The Setup: A message from the CEO asking for gift cards for clients or staff appreciation.
The Fix: Set a clear policy, no gift cards without two person approval. Never approve via text.
2. Invoice and Payment Switch Ups
The Setup: Fraudsters sneak into vendor emails with updated banking details.
The Fix: Confirm payment changes by phone using a number already on file.
3. Fake Shipping Notices
The Setup: Alerts from UPS or FedEx that lead to malware.
The Fix: Bookmark real carrier sites and train your team to go direct.
4. Fake Holiday Party Attachments
The Setup: Emails like Holiday_Schedule.pdf that contain malware.
The Fix: Block macros, scan attachments, and build a verify before opening culture.
5. Bogus Holiday Fundraisers
The Setup: Fake charities or supposed company match programs.
The Fix: Use an approved giving list and verified donation portals.
Why These Holiday Scams Work
The same tools that help us work smarter, email, online banking, cloud systems, are weaponized against us. These are not clunky spam messages anymore. They are targeted, polished, and perfectly timed.
The defense is simple and effective:
- Multifactor authentication blocks most unauthorized logins.
- Phishing simulations significantly reduce risk.
- Clear written policies empower your team to pause and verify.
Your Holiday Cybersecurity Checklist
- Two Person Rule: Dual verbal confirmation for major transactions.
- Gift Card Rules: No exceptions if it is not policy.
- Vendor Verification: Confirm changes by phone.
- MFA Everywhere: Email, payroll, cloud systems.
- Quick Team Huddle: Five minutes can prevent a five figure loss.
The Hidden Costs for Small Businesses
The $60 million Orion loss made headlines. But for small and midsize firms, the damage from holiday scams is often quieter and harder to bounce back from. Think:
- Operations grinding to a halt
- Loss of client trust
- Hours wasted on cleanup instead of growth
- Insurance premiums climbing
The average loss per business email scam is roughly $129,000. For most Metro Atlanta SMBs, that is not a bad month, that is an existential threat.
Take Action Before the Holidays Hit
In just fifteen minutes, we can help your business lock down its biggest vulnerabilities before the season ramps up. No scare tactics. Just clear, actionable guidance.
Schedule Your Free Security Assessment
Because when your tech runs quietly, your business can celebrate loudly.
