Stay Safe This Holiday Season: How to Protect Yourself From Scams

The holiday season brings celebration, connection, and—unfortunately—a surge in online scams. As you navigate holiday shopping, year-end work, and festive travel, cybercriminals ramp up their efforts through email and text-based phishing attacks designed to steal passwords, personal information, and even financial details.

Staying informed is the best way to stay safe. Here’s what to watch for and how to protect yourself this season.

Spotting Holiday Phishing Scams

Cybercriminals often disguise their messages as trusted brands, coworkers, or even your own IT team. To stay ahead of them:

1. Be cautious of unexpected messages.
If you receive an email or text that feels “off,” take a closer look. Red flags include misspellings, unusual sender addresses, and urgent language asking you to act immediately.

2. Don’t click suspicious links.
Instead of tapping a link from an unexpected message, manually navigate to the official website in your browser. This simple step can prevent credential theft.

3. Verify before you share.
If you’re unsure whether a message is legitimate, reach out directly through official customer support channels—never through the contact information provided in the suspicious message.

Be Careful on Public Wi-Fi

Holiday travel often means airport lounges, coffee shops, or hotel Wi-Fi. While convenient, public networks are prime targets for cybercriminals.

Here’s how to reduce your risk:

• Avoid signing in to personal accounts or accessing sensitive data over public Wi-Fi.

• Use a trusted VPN if you must log on—it encrypts your connection and adds a layer of protection.

• Turn off file sharing and set your device to automatically forget public networks once you disconnect.

Your Security Is Our Priority. Please reach out if you have concerns or you think we can help. We would love to talk.

Serverless Solutions is wishing you a safe, secure, and scam-free holiday season!