In 1967 one of America’s favorite toy companies ran a 7-page spread in national magazines advertising a Million Dollar Christmas Sweepstakes to boost doll sales. The ad was an instant hit and today these types of giveaways and prize sweepstakes remain very effective marketing strategies, especially during the holiday season. Unfortunately, scammers have utilized similar marketing tactics. 

The popular gift card scam is just one example of how cybercriminals use these traditional marketing tactics to grab your attention and convince you to act fast. They employ a range of ‘promotional’ schemes and gimmicks to trick their victims. Fraudsters will say you’ve won a prize, tell you a friend or family member has an emergency, or pretend to provide a service like tech support to trick you into buying gift cards and giving them the numbers off the back of the card. 

To protect yourself and your loved ones from cybercrime, look out for fake emails promising lucrative prizes, too-good-to-be true freebies from recognizable brands, and random charity requests in your inbox or on social media. Remember, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) has made it easier than ever for scammers to commit crimes. They can use tools like ChatGPT to recreate correspondence that looks and sounds legitimate. Keep an eye out for faux gifts during the holiday season.