The holidays are the busiest shopping season of the year — and the busiest season for scammers, too. Between Black Friday deals, year-end invoices, and charity appeals, your inbox and phone are about to get a lot noisier. Scammers know small business owners are distracted, short-staffed, and spending more than usual, and they design their tricks to blend right into that chaos.
Here are five holiday scams targeting small businesses right now, and what to do about each one.
1. The Fake Invoice That Looks Like a Real Vendor
This one spikes every November and December. An email arrives that looks like it’s from a supplier you actually use — same logo, same layout — but the payment details have changed, or the invoice is for something you never ordered. Sometimes it’s a “past due” notice meant to rush you into paying before you check.
Before you pay any invoice this season, verify it through a channel you already trust: call the vendor at the number you have on file (not the one in the email), or check your own ordering system. If the bank details changed, that’s a red flag — legitimate vendors almost never change payment instructions by email alone.
2. The Gift Card Request From “Your Boss”
It usually starts with a short email or text: “I’m in a meeting and need you to grab some gift cards for clients. I’ll reimburse you.” It may even appear to come from you, the owner, to an employee. The cards get bought, the codes get sent, and the money is gone — gift cards are nearly impossible to recover once redeemed.
Make this a standing rule in your business: no one buys gift cards on the basis of an email or text alone, ever. A quick phone call or a walk down the hall settles it in thirty seconds.
3. The Delivery Problem That Isn’t Real
With packages flying all season, a text saying “Your delivery couldn’t be completed — click here to reschedule” feels routine. Clicking the link can install malware on a phone or lead to a fake page that harvests login credentials. These messages hit employees’ personal phones as well as business devices, and one bad click on a phone connected to your business email can open a door into your systems.
The rule is simple: never click a delivery link from a text message. Go to the carrier’s website or app directly and enter the tracking number there. If there’s a real problem, it will show up.
4. The Too-Good Holiday Deal
A heavily discounted laptop, a bulk office-supply offer at half price, a “limited-time” software license — holiday deal scams target businesses looking to stretch a year-end budget. The site looks professional, the prices are tempting, and after you pay, either nothing arrives or a counterfeit product shows up.
Stick to vendors you know, and be suspicious of any deal that only exists on a site you’ve never heard of, especially if it demands payment by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency. Those payment methods are a scammer’s best friends because they can’t be reversed.
5. The Charity Appeal That Pulls at Heartstrings
The holidays bring a genuine wave of charitable giving, and scammers ride it. Fake charities with names close to real ones solicit donations by phone, email, and social media. A small business that gives generously is exactly the kind of target they want.
Before donating to an unfamiliar organization, take two minutes to look it up — a quick search for the charity’s name plus the word “scam” or “complaint” usually tells you what you need to know. Giving through organizations you already know and trust is always the safest route.
A Simple Holiday Safety Routine for Your Team
You don’t need a big security overhaul to get through the season safely. Share this list with your staff, and add three habits:
- Slow down on money requests. Any unexpected request to pay, wire, or buy should get a second look, especially in November and December.
- Verify before you click. If a message creates urgency — an account about to close, a delivery about to be returned, a deal about to expire — treat that urgency as the warning sign it usually is.
- Report, don’t delete. If an employee spots something suspicious, have them flag it rather than quietly deleting it. Knowing what’s targeting your business helps everyone stay alert.
Most holiday scams succeed not because they’re sophisticated, but because they arrive at the worst possible moment — when you’re busy, tired, and trying to be helpful. A few minutes of awareness now can save you a very expensive January.
If you’re not sure whether a message your business received is legitimate, or you’d like help getting your team ready for the season, West Main Tech Services LLC is happy to take a look. Call us at (240) 490-9703 — we’re right here in Middletown, serving small businesses across Frederick County, and we’d rather answer a quick question than help clean up after a scam.