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- 26th Nov 2025
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We spoke to a North East fraud expert about the scams to watch out for this Christmas
Christmas is the season of joy… and unfortunately, a season when scammers work overtime.
With online shopping at its peak and delivery notifications flying in, it’s easier than ever to get caught out, even for savviest of shoppers.
We asked Newcastle-based fraud and data protection specialist Frankie Foster, founder of Novo Data Services, to share the red flags, real threats and practical steps we all need to know about this festive season.
Below, Frankie breaks down the most common Christmas scams, and how to protect yourself and your money.
The stats
Most people think they will never be a victim of fraud, but statistics from CIFAS show that 1 in 7 people fell foul of scams in 2024, with shopping and fake delivery scams being in the top categories of scams.
Fraudsters play on hope and fear, with a push to act quickly. Nobody is more fearful, hopeful or in a hurry than shoppers in the run up to the festive period.
With only 18% of fraud losses being recovered (CIFAS) – even the savviest shopper needs to be on the lookout for potential scams.
The missed delivery or address update required
You’re waiting on that one special gift for a loved one when you receive a dreaded notification saying your delivery is at risk, with a handy little link to save the day…
Clicking links in messages can lead to being redirected to a fraudulent site that steals your precious personal data, it can download malware onto your phone or device, including those that spy on your activity (including your banking) and install viruses.
Frankie’s tip – If you’re waiting for a parcel, pop onto the site where you purchased or check your email receipt for legitimate tracking information. Do not click on links in texts or emails, even if these appear in the same thread as legitimate messages, cloning a sender’s details is a piece of Christmas cake.
The ‘too good to be true’ offer
All of the shops are sold out of this year’s must have toy and then it appears on a social media advert, and even better it’s a bargain price!
Paying for goods and services you do not receive is called Authorised Push Payments – as you willingly made the transaction and, in the majority of cases, you will not be entitled to claim anything back from your bank.
Frankie’s tip – If you find a bargain or unbelievable offer, it is unbelievable for a reason. If you really think it is genuine, track an official website down but do not purchase directly from online adverts without doing your due diligence.
Your supermarket is giving away gift cards to the first 50 people that like and share
Look at when the profile was created, I guarantee it will be recent and have a suspiciously low number of followers – mostly those waiting for their gift card!
This is social engineering. By commenting and sharing a random Facebook account, you are sharing your profile with them, including in some cases your full name, date of birth, hometown, even mother’s maiden name. A lovely Christmas present to a fraudster who wants to access your online bank account.
Data is one of the most valuable currencies around and it’s yours! Don’t give your data away lightly, imagine each piece of your information as a £50 note and hold onto it in the same way.
Frankie’s tip – If you see a great competition, supermarkets are not keeping this quiet in a highly competitive time of year. They would be shouting about it on their website and would have secure ways to enter.
Your bank cards have been frozen or there is suspected fraud on your account
The clock is ticking, and you still have so many gifts to buy, the last thing you need is cards that don’t work, or worse, your funds being stolen.
Fortunately, the lovely person from the bank has rang you to fix this for you, all you need to do it give them all of your security information – and you’d better do it quick before more harm is done.
Your bank can freeze and open accounts with the click of a button, any sense of urgency and pressure is a huge red flag.
Frankie’s tip – Hang up and call your bank on a number you recognise, from a different device (fraudsters can stay on the line and pretend it is a new call). If the call was from your bank, they will have no issue with this, in fact they will applaud your sensible approach.
You don’t work at the bank or for the police
As above, your bank account has been compromised and in order to keep it safe, your bank needs you to move the money to a new account.
This is a scam. Banks have fantastic fraud teams who care about their customers. They have systems and controls in place to deal with fraud.
Your bank does not need you to move the money, or even worse withdraw money and move it so they can trace it.
Although this phone call is terrifying and you want to do whatever you can to stop your account being cleared, don’t be pushed into doing something through fear.
Frankie’s tip – As above, ring your bank directly and discuss this. Your bank will take care of everything for you, because they do work at the bank.
What to do if you have been scammed
- Firstly, remember – you are the victim of a crime.
- Speak up, don’t be embarrassed. Fraud is a multi-million pound industry and these are career criminals, who are good at what they do.
- Report it to your bank immediately, to try and recover the funds and prevent further damage.
- Report this to Action Fraud
- Change passwords elsewhere and make other companies aware. If you have two or three bank accounts, let each one know you have been a victim so they can apply additional safeguarding to your accounts – even if these were unaffected.
- Tell friends and family. Scam awareness is the best defence and for every story shared, somebody else thinks twice.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT NOVO DATA SERVICES
About the expert
This advice was provided by Frankie Foster, founder of Novo Data Services, a Newcastle-based compliance, fraud and data protection consultancy. With a decade of experience across financial services, legal and gambling sectors, Frankie leads organisations through fraud prevention, compliance frameworks and data protection best practice.
EMAIL FRANKIE: [email protected]
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