The holiday season brings increased shopping, traveling and giving, which makes it prime time for scammers.

One in three adults in the United States say they have been targeted by a holiday shopping scam, with just over half of those admitting they took the bait and fell victim, according to a 2025 report from Norton, 31%.

Norton’s report showed that many holiday shoppers tend to become complacent and rely on shortcuts for the sake of efficiency and convenience. However, these are the behaviors that make the season so tempting for criminals.

To protect themselves from shopping scams, Norton recommends consumers:

  • Take a moment before they buy to consider whether a deal is too good to be true.
  • Stick to brands they know, and avoid purchasing from social media sellers or brands they’ve never heard of unless they can confirm that the seller is legitimate and the transaction will be secure.
  • Be careful when using AI to help with gift ideas. Engines like ChatGPT aren’t able to make judgment calls on whether recommended sites are safe and secure. Users should always verify any links provided by AI and never send payment information through these online tools.
  • Track packages and set delivery alerts to avoid porch pirates.
  • Utilize security tools like antivirus software, VPNs and scam-detection tools for an added layer of protection.

In the slideshow above, we’ll examine five of the most common holiday-season schemes, according to Norton.

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