As 2025 comes to an end and the festive season begins, Standard Bank urges consumers to stay alert as scams surge in scale and sophistication. While fraudulent schemes have plagued consumers all year round, the festive season is one of the high-risk periods as spending online and visits to shopping centres and malls increase. Scammers and cybercriminals take advantage of urgency, distraction, the lure of discounts, and the spirit of generosity that come with the festive season.
“During this peak shopping period, the threat multiplies as fraudsters prey on consumer excitement and rush,” says advocate Athaly Khan, Standard Bank’s head of Fraud Risk Management. Fraudsters are constantly changing their tactics and there are various scams to watch out for. Here are some of the most common ones: Fraudsters may create fake websites or replicas of existing and trusted websites to trick consumers into sharing their card details i.e.
card number, expiry date and CVV. Consumers will “shop” on the fake website, inputting their card details only for the fraudster to retrieve and use them. “Always verify website URLs and avoid clicking on suspicious links,” says Khan.
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She urges Standard Bank customers to enable free in-app transaction alerts and report any suspicious activity immediately to help prevent financial loss. “Fraudsters are getting smarter, but so can you,” says Khan. Before entering your card details, pause and check the site’s legitimacy.
Type the URL yourself. If something looks off, trust your instincts and shut it down.” With the known search for good deals, fraudsters put out deals that are often “too good to be true”. These deals are enticing and implore urgency due to their “limited offer”.
Consumers rush to make payments, failing to conduct due diligence as they want to secure the deal. In many cases, the goods never arrive, or the quality is not what was promised. “If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you’ve never dealt with that seller before, it’s wise to reconsider the purchase,” says Khan.
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