Christmas sales and offers are everywhere, but extremely low prices on popular or hard-to-find items should set off alarm bells. Fake websites and social media ads often advertise luxury goods or gaming consoles at unbelievable discounts to lure you into handing over payment details.

Before buying: look for customer reviews from independent sources, clear contact information and secure payment indicators (such as ‘https://’ and a padlock symbol in the browser). If something feels off, trust your instincts and look elsewhere for that gift.

Scammers often pose as delivery companies, retailers, banks or even friends and family. Common examples include messages claiming there’s a ‘problem with your parcel’ or that you need to ‘confirm your payment details.’ These messages can be really convincing, and appear to come from recognised delivery companies like Royal Mail, Evri and Yodel.

Pause before clicking anything: Check the sender’s email address or phone number carefully. Scammers often use information that looks right but contains small errors. For example, using a zero instead of an ‘o’ in an email address, or other unusual characters or symbols. When in doubt, go to the company’s official website or app and don’t click any links sent via text or email.

Legitimate businesses will never ask for your personal, sensitive information (like passwords or one-time codes) via email, text message, or social media. Scammers often create a sense of urgency, claiming your account will be locked or a payment will fail unless you act immediately.

Take your time: Never share login details or verification codes with anyone, even if the message appears to come from a trusted organisation. When in doubt, contact the company directly using official contact details.

According to Citizens Advice, the three things you need to do if you think you’ve been scammed are:

• protect yourself from further risks
• check if you can get your money back
• report the scam

You’ll need to reset your passwords, alert your bank and call 101 if you’ve paid money to a scammer in the last 24 hours.

Being scammed can be a frightening experience. Preventing it is much easier than handling it if it happens. Make sure you know how to protect yourself online, and get back to enjoying the festive season without worrying about falling for digital scams