Cybercrime Southeast Europe Newsletter No. 83

Holiday Season Brings a Surge of Fake Giveaways – How to Spot the Scam

Dear clients,

As the holiday season approaches, we are witnessing a sharp increase in fake giveaways and “holiday gift campaigns” circulating across social media and messaging apps. These schemes appear every year following the same pattern, but they are becoming more sophisticated and more convincing. They are especially widespread in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, where they circulate rapidly and in large numbers, though similar attempts have now been detected in Serbia and Montenegro as well.

The core of the scam remains the same: citizens are shown alleged vouchers, gift cards, holiday shopping credits or prize packages that look legitimate and visually resemble real promotions run by well-known companies. The posts are often designed professionally, creating a false sense of credibility — and this is precisely what scammers rely on. During the holiday period, people tend to be more relaxed, more trusting, and more inclined to believe that “everyone is giving something away,” which leads to reduced vigilance.

The mechanism of the scam usually works as follows: the user receives a message or sees a post about a giveaway, clicks the link directing them to a fake website, and enters basic personal information. In the next step, they are asked to “verify their identity” by paying a small amount (1–2 euros) or by entering their card details. This small amount is only a cover — scammers use that moment to harvest card information and later carry out unauthorized transactions.

Although similar scams appear throughout the year, their frequency multiplies in December and January. The explanation is simple: during the holiday season, people are more inclined to believe in discounts, gifts, and limited-time offers. On social media, such posts spread quickly not only because scammers promote them, but also because users themselves unknowingly share the links thinking they are helping someone win a prize.

Common characteristics of these scams include:

• the link leads to a website that only resembles an official page, but is not registered on the company’s legitimate domain;
• the message is written in an unnatural style or contains grammatical errors;
• users are encouraged to share the post or invite additional participants;
• the prizes are unusually valuable and supposedly available “only today”;
• users are asked to provide card details or make a small payment to participate.

This pattern shows how heavily scammers rely on quick emotional reactions. Everything is designed to prevent the user from stopping to check the details. It is crucial to emphasize that no legitimate company will ever ask for payment or card details to allow participation in a giveaway, nor will they require users to pay any fee to claim a prize.

To stay safe, we recommend verifying every link directly on the official website of the company allegedly organizing the promotion. Extra caution is advised when receiving giveaway links through Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook groups, or similar channels, as these platforms are commonly used for spreading unverified and fraudulent content.

If you have already entered personal or card information, or made a payment, it is essential to contact your bank immediately to block the card. Please also save all messages, links, and screenshots, as they may assist the authorities.

Kind regards,
Attorney Zoran Miljaković