Christmas scams: how to buy gifts safely and spot a fake seller

A gift bargain in a social media advert. A seller who wants a bank transfer. A parcel text while you’re waiting for presents. A friend asking for gift cards. Christmas scams copy the way we shop in December. Paste a link or message below to see where it really goes before you pay or tap.

By Avinash Jetwani · Updated 9 November 2026 · 4 min read

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Quick answer

How do I avoid Christmas shopping scams?

Buy from shops you know, or marketplaces that take the payment for you, and be wary of gift bargains in social media adverts and posts. Paste a seller’s or advert’s link into Peekray to see where it really goes, whether it’s on public phishing and malware lists and whether the site was registered in the last 30 days. Never pay a stranger by bank transfer or with gift cards, and pay by credit card where you can. Expect fake parcel texts in December: check a delivery in the shop’s or courier’s own app or website, not through a link in a text.

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Paste the link or message

Paste a gift advert’s link, a seller’s message or a parcel text. Peekray shows where each link really goes, flags sites registered in the last 30 days and addresses pretending to be a big name such as PayPal, Royal Mail or a bank, and gives a clear answer such as Safe, Check first or Scam.

A clean result means no warning signs, not that a seller is honest. Never pay someone you don’t know by bank transfer.

or type or paste it here

Only the web addresses are sent for checking. Screenshots and who sent it are read on your device, and our server never reads or keeps the rest of your message.

Got a QR code?

Check it before you open it. The code is read in your browser, and only a web address in it is sent for checking.

Spot it

Four Christmas scams to watch for

  1. 01

    Gift bargains in adverts

    This year’s must-have toy or gadget at a low price, in an advert or post on social media, often with AI-made pictures. The shop behind it may not exist.

    Check a shop

  2. 02

    Sellers on Facebook and marketplaces

    A private seller with just what you want, who asks for a bank transfer or a deposit and then stops replying. TSB says Facebook was involved in 65% of its customers’ purchase fraud cases so far in 2026.

  3. 03

    Parcel texts

    Texts saying a parcel couldn’t be delivered, asking you to pay a small fee or confirm your address through a link, sent while you’re waiting for presents.

    Parcel texts

  4. 04

    Gift card requests

    A message from a “friend”, a “boss” or a company asking you to buy gift cards and send the codes. Gift cards are easy to buy, hard to trace and quickly spent, so the money is hard to get back.

    WhatsApp scams

In numbers

Why it’s worth two minutes

Before you pay

Five ways to shop safely this Christmas

  1. 1

    Buy from shops you know

    Or from marketplaces that take the payment for you. Be wary of bargains in social media adverts, however real the pictures look.

    How to check a shop
  2. 2

    Never pay a stranger by bank transfer

    A private seller who wants a bank transfer, or a deposit to hold an item, is a warning sign: that money is very hard to get back. Pay through the marketplace’s own checkout where it has one.

  3. 3

    Check deliveries in the app

    Waiting for presents? Check a parcel in the shop’s or courier’s own app or website, not through a link in a text.

  4. 4

    Check gift card requests another way

    If a friend, a colleague or a company asks you to buy gift cards and send the codes, call them on a number you already have before you do anything.

  5. 5

    Pay by credit card

    For a single item costing more than £100 and up to £30,000, Section 75 lets you claim from the card company if the goods never arrive.

Paid already?

Already paid a seller you’re unsure about?

  1. 1

    Call your bank now on the number on the back of your card. In the UK you can also dial 159 to reach your bank safely.

  2. 2

    Paid with gift cards? Contact the company that issued them straight away too: it may be able to block the card.

  3. 3

    If what you paid for never came, ask your card company about Section 75 or chargeback, or open a PayPal dispute.

  4. 4

    Report it (see below), and keep screenshots of the advert, the messages and the payment.

Clicked a scam link? What to do now Black Friday scams

Report it

Where to report it

In the UK

A fake shop website
Report it to the National Cyber Security Centre, which investigates scam websites.
A scam text with the link
Forward it to 7726. It’s free.
A scam email with the link
Forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
A scam advert
Report it to the Advertising Standards Authority.
Lost money
Tell your bank, then report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Let Peekray do it

Check the next gift link before you pay.

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FAQ

Common questions

Is it safe to buy Christmas presents on Facebook Marketplace?

It can be, but take care: TSB says Facebook was involved in 65% of its customers’ purchase fraud cases so far in 2026. Never pay a deposit or the full price by bank transfer to a seller you don’t know, and pay through a checkout that protects you where you can.

Why do scammers ask for gift cards?

Because gift cards are easy to buy, hard to trace and quickly spent, so the money is hard to get back. If anyone asks you to pay with gift cards or to send the codes, check with them another way first, such as a call to a number you already have.

Are Christmas parcel texts real?

Some are. A fake one copies a courier and asks you to tap a link to pay a fee or confirm your address. Check the delivery in the shop’s or courier’s own app or website instead, and paste the text into Peekray to see where its link really goes.

Can Peekray tell me if a seller is honest?

No. Peekray checks links: where a link really goes, whether it’s on public phishing and malware lists, whether the address pretends to be a big name, and how new the site is. It can’t check a person, so never pay someone you don’t know by bank transfer.

Sources

Where this advice comes from

How it’s checked

How we check these guides

The advice here is checked against the sources above, and the scam messages in the examples are made up. Guides are drafted and fact-checked with the help of AI, claim by claim against those sources, before they’re published. This guide is by Avinash Jetwani, who makes Peekray. Spotted a mistake? Email hello@peekray.com.

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