Gridinsoft Issues Urgent Holiday Warning Phishing Attacks Surge 620% December 2025
Free Website Reputation Checker Tool to Spot Scams Instantly Amid Holiday Fraud Rise
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, December 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As shoppers flock to online deals this holiday season, cybercriminals are ramping up phishing and business email compromise (BEC) attacks, with a projected 25% increase in deceptive emails targeting consumers and businesses. Gridinsoft, a leading provider of advanced anti-malware solutions, today released a timely alert highlighting the sneakiest scams of 2025 and is offering its free Website Reputation Checker tool to help users verify suspicious links before it's too late.
The holiday rush – from Black Friday to New Year's Eve – creates the perfect storm for fraudsters. According to recent cybersecurity reports, phishing attempts mimicking retailers like Amazon and FedEx have surged by 620% in the weeks leading up to Black Friday and Thanksgiving. BEC schemes (where attackers impersonate executives or vendors) saw a 13% rise in Q4, accounting for up to 37% of financial incidents this year. Early 2025 holiday season data already shows 39% of users have encountered fraud attempts (vs. 35% for the full 2024 season).
"December is prime time for phishers because urgency and excitement lower our defenses," said Iryna Grydina, Founder & CEO of Gridinsoft. "We've seen a 25% spike in malicious domains registered for holiday lures, from fake gift card offers to urgent 'package delay' alerts. Our data shows that one in four emails during the holidays could be a scam – but simple tools like our Website Reputation Checker can detect 90% of these threats in seconds, providing detailed reports on domain age, IP risks, and hidden malware."
Gridinsoft's analysis of 2025 threats reveals the top five sneakiest email scams preying on holiday cheer (see attached infographic for visual breakdown):
1. Package Delivery Impersonation: Emails from "USPS" or "UPS" claiming a delayed gift shipment, linking to fake tracking pages that steal credentials. Red flag: Unsolicited urgency – "Update now or lose your package!" Surge: +620% around Black Friday.
2. Gift Card BEC Trap: A "boss" or "colleague" requests urgent iTunes or Amazon card purchases for "team holiday bonuses," followed by code sharing. Twist: AI-generated voice attachments mimicking executives. Growth: +13% in Q4 BEC attacks.
3. Fake Charity Appeals: Bogus donations to "holiday relief funds" from spoofed organizations like the Red Cross, harvesting card details. Stat: 89% of adults targeted by emotional scams.
4. Shopping Voucher Lures: "You've won a Walmart Cyber Monday deal!" – leading to login phishing. Malicious retail configs: +92% this season.
5. Travel Booking Compromises: Altered "confirmation" emails for corporate holiday trips, demanding payment updates. Accommodation sector: +400% in fraudulent domains.
For example, checking a newly registered “crypto-bonus-offers[.]com” site may trigger a high-risk verdict due to its 1-day-old registration, cryptocurrency-related patterns, and multiple scam signals, while a long-standing retail domain with 10+ years of history and clean telemetry earns a “Clean” verdict.
"Empowering users with transparent, actionable insights is key to outsmarting AI-driven threats," added Iryna Grydina. "Our checker not only detects but explains why a site is risky, helping businesses and families stay safe this holiday."
Visit Website Checker for a free scan, and download the full GridinSoft Anti-Malware for real-time protection.
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