How to stay safe and scam-free during the holiday shopping season
27 November 2025
Reading time: 4 minutes
This year, the average Brit will spend more than £1,300 in the six weeks leading up to Christmas and fraudsters will be increasingly targeting mobile users to take advantage of one of the busiest times of the year for online transactions.
Therefore, it’s important to remain vigilant and practice safe online behaviours to keep you and your business secure.
Five common types of fraud and how to avoid them
As fraudsters become increasingly sophisticated in their approach, it's important to know the most common scams to look out for and how best to combat them.
1. Account takeover fraud
This can happen when a bad actor gains unauthorised access to a customer’s account. As a result, it can allow them to either place an order on the victim’s account, steal equipment or take control of their number as part of fraud targeted at others.
It’s important to remember that Three will never: ask for your password; ask you to read out a one-time code generated online; tell you to ignore a security warning; or call to ask you to return your order.
Top tips:
- Verify the caller’s identity: If you receive an unexpected call from someone claiming to be from a trusted organisation, ask for their name, department, and a callback number. Then, verify their identity by calling the organisation’s official number, which you should be able to find on their website.
- If in doubt, don’t click on any link, or call a number contained within the message. Instead, manually enter the website’s address in your browser or use the official app.
2. SIM swap fraud
SIM swap fraud is when scammers take control of a phone number by switching the service to a SIM card they possess, granting them access to online accounts and personal information.
They often use social engineering tactics, such as impersonating a company, to trick customers into sharing one-time codes.
You should always be wary of unexpected calls, especially if the caller is pressuring you, and should not ignore warnings and notifications about suspicious activity on your account.
Top tips:
- Be wary of unexpected calls or messages: If anyone is claiming to be from any company or organisation and it doesn’t feel right, ignore it, then call them back on their official number.
- Don’t ignore fraud warnings in text messages or on your handset for calls. Always report unexpected notifications, particularly about account changes.
3. Scam and spam messages
Spam texts are unsolicited, unwanted messages that are sent to a large number of recipients. Scam text messages, meanwhile, are designed to trick recipients into sharing personal information or money.
Both individuals and businesses should always be wary of who they share personal information with, as scammers often use fake, yet convincing, websites and email addresses to steal details.
Top tips:
- Report scam/unwanted messages by forwarding to 7726, followed by the sender when requested, or click ‘Report Spam’ on Android phones and ‘Report Junk’ on iPhones.
- Scam messages are not limited to SMS messages. Scams are also sent over iMessage and Rich Communication Services (RCS), as well as the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and any other messaging/social media platforms. Be vigilant and question every unexpected message received.
4. Nuisance and fraudulent callers
While nuisance calls are intended to annoy or disturb the recipient, fraudulent calls can be more sinister since they are used to deceive or defraud those on the receiving end, often for financial gain.
If your device allows it, you can enable caller ID and call blocking. Regardless of this, you should always exercise caution when answering a call from an unknown number, and should never share sensitive information over the phone.
Top tips:
- Report nuisance calls to 7726 by texting the word ‘CALL’, followed by the caller’s numbers within the same message (e.g. ‘CALL 07123123123).
5. Muling
Credit muling is when fraudsters convince others to take out phone plans or make purchases on their behalf.
Though certainly not only confined to the telecoms industry, in this context, scammers may disguise themselves as mystery shoppers to try and gain the target’s trust.
Because this often results in an individual using their own information to make the purchase, it can be difficult for companies to spot.
To protect against this type of fraud, individuals and businesses should be wary of who they share personal information with and report any concerns with the company the purchase was made with.
Top tips:
- Install call blocking and SMS filtering apps. These apps can help identify and block potential spam and fraudulent contacts, reducing the risk of falling victim to scams.
- Never share a one-time code or personal information unless you are sure you are speaking with, or have yourself contacted, a legitimate business. Legitimate companies will never ask for sensitive information such as your bank details, online passwords, or PINs over the phone or via SMS.
Conclusion
With scammer tactics constantly evolving, it’s vital to keep your understanding of the fraud landscape up to date to help keep yourself and your business safe and scam free.
Source References and Footnotes:
Following the successful merger of Three and Vodafone and an unprecedented £11 billion investment, Vodafone and Three will build the UK’s best network. For more information, visit: https://www.three.co.uk/business/why-three-business/best-ever-network
1. Vodafone UK News Centre
Original article: How to avoid scams during the holiday shopping season
2. The Independent
Average Brit to spend more than £1,300 in the six weeks before Christmas
3. Three Privacy and Safety
Find out everything you need to know about your privacy and safety with Three