Australian Holiday Scam Safety Guide — Stay Vigilant & Protected

The holiday season should be a time for joy, connection, and giving — not falling victim to fraud. As scammers ramp up their tactics around Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year's sales, Aussies need to be aware of common seasonal scams and how to avoid them. Scams can happen online, over the phone, by SMS and even in person, and they often cost victims real money and personal data.

Here’s a practical guide to the top holiday scams targeting Australians and how to protect yourself this festive season.

1. Fake Online Shopping & Ghost Stores

Scammers set up bogus e-commerce sites that mimic legitimate retailers and offer unrealistically cheap deals (remember this from around Black Friday?). Be especially careful around Boxing Day and New Year sales. These sites take your money and never deliver your products. In recent peak shopping periods, Australians lost millions to “ghost store” scams.

How to avoid:

✔ Shop only on reputable sites.

✔ Check reviews and search for scam alerts.

✔ Be wary of sites with poor design or odd domain names.

2. Parcel Delivery & AusPost Impersonation Scams

Messages that claim a parcel is “held” or that you owe a fee are a growing problem. Scammers impersonate Australia Post and other couriers to trick you into clicking fake links or paying bogus fees. Most commonly, they send these messages by SMS but they also use email and are even sending QR codes via Facebook Messenger, all designed to steal data.

How to avoid:

✔ Don’t click links in unsolicited texts or messages.

✔ Track parcels through the official AusPost app or site.

3. Social Media Holiday Scams & Impersonations

Scammers use social media ads and fake profiles to promote fake products, services or “exclusive deals.” They also impersonate brands and friends to build a degree of trust, all designed to lure you into their scam.

How to avoid:

✔ Verify seller profiles.

✔ Be skeptical of unusual payment requests.

4. Prize, Vacation or “Too Good to Be True” Offers

You might receive a message saying you’ve won a holiday or prize, but first you need to pay a fee or provide personal info. If you didn’t enter the competition, you can’t win. These are an old type of scam but they continually evolve and are responsible for stealing millions of dollars.

How to avoid:

✔ Don’t respond to unsolicited prize notifications.

✔ Check the legitimacy of contests before engaging.

5. Gift Card & Payment Scams

Scammers often ask for gift cards as payment or sell fake/used cards online. They may also pose as government or utility providers demanding gift card payments. Check out ADF Financial Services Consumer Centre for more details on these complex scams.

How to avoid:

✔ Buy gift cards only from reputable retailers.

✔ Never use them to pay a supposed debt or to pay for your purchase.

6. Phishing Emails & SMS (Smishing)

These are messages that seem to be from legitimate companies asking you to click a link and update details. What you will actually be doing is be voluntarily giving the scammers your personal or financial information. Phishing scams increase during peak shopping periods like Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year.

How to avoid:

✔ Don’t click links from unknown sources.

✔ Type the official website address yourself.

7. Romance & Emotional Scams

Scammers build trust through fake online relationships and then ask for money, “emergency funds,” or help with travel costs. These are an insidious type of scam, in which the bad guys prey on your good nature.

How to avoid:

✔ Be cautious with new online contacts requesting money.

8. Fake Jobs & Seasonal Work Scams

Many people are looking for part-time work to earn a little extra cash around the holiday season. The scammers know this, and that's why they use holiday job ads to con people. The advertising can be tempting, but be aware that some are designed to steal your identity or ask for upfront "training fees."

How to avoid:

✔ Research the employer.

✔ Never pay money to get a job.

9. Investment & Crypto Scams

Promised quick returns on investments, especially in crypto, almost always turn out

to be scams, particularly on social media. In fact, digital currency scams rank as the number one scam topic.

How to avoid:

✔ Consult licensed financial advisers.

✔ Be wary of unrealistic returns.

10. Charity & Donation Scams

While giving is generous, scammers exploit goodwill by creating fake charities requesting donations. Check out ADF Financial Services Consumer Centre for details, or check the ACNC Charity Register

How to avoid:

✔ Confirm charity credentials via ACNC Charity Register.

11. Recovery & Fake Authority Scams

Scammers may promise to help recover money from an earlier scam — for a fee. They may even impersonate law enforcement. But if you think about it, who else could have so much knowledge about you falling for a scam besides the scammers? This type of scam is one that should always raise a red flag for you.

How to avoid:

✔ Government agencies will not ask for payment to recover funds.

12. Identity Theft & Personal Info Scams

Fraudsters use stolen data to access your bank accounts or open new accounts in your name.

How to avoid:

✔ Keep personal documents secure.

✔ Use strong passwords and MFA.

Top Holiday Scam Safety Tips

✔ Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts.

✔ Use reputable security software.

✔ Avoid public Wi-Fi when making transactions.

✔ Report scams to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au).

✔ Encourage friends and family to stay aware.

What to Do If You’re Targeted

If you think you’ve been scammed:

🔹 Contact your bank immediately.

🔹 Report to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au).

🔹 Consider reporting to local police.

You may feel embarrassed, but it's essential that you let others know what happened. Sharing that information can help others avoid becoming victims, too, and this is an important component of holiday scam safety.