‘Tis the season of giving — but don’t give to scammers

• Deacon Cecilia Contreras of the Immanuel Presbyterian Church, CEO of Shalom International and Vice President of the Sperantia Foundation

The holidays are meant to be a season of joy, generosity, family, and community. At my church, the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, they’re a time when our faith congregation comes together to celebrate the strength and support that binds us. For me, it’s the most beautiful time of the year. But for too many in our community, particularly seniors and lower-income members, it’s one of the most dangerous.

While families are shopping, donating, or celebrating the season, scammers are preparing to take advantage of their goodwill. The unfortunate reality is that the holiday season tends to lower our guard — people are stretched thin, looking for the perfect bargain gift for a loved one, or conversely feeling more charitable and willing to hear out the person asking for donations on the phone. And that’s exactly when scammers strike.

It could be a fake “boss” asking you to grab Amazon gift cards as a Christmas thank-you for employees. It could be a phony volunteer seeking holiday donations for their charity. It could be a too-good-to-be-true online listing for a luxury gift. It could even be someone pretending to be a grandchild, needing money for an “emergency” while home for a holiday break. These scams are intricate, varied, and often nearly impossible to detect until it’s too late.

Perhaps most alarmingly, scammers don’t target everyone equally — these criminals deliberately prey on those most vulnerable. Lower-income communities who are more susceptible to financial desperation, seniors who might not recognize a fishy email or phone call, and even faith communities, who are known for their generosity, are prime targets. Americans in their 60s reported losing a staggering $1.18 billion to fraud in 2024, and a 2025 Bankrate Financial Fraud Survey found that Americans earning under $50,000 a year were the most likely to have experienced fraud or a scam (37%) and also the most likely to lose money when targeted (40%).

To truly confront this epidemic, we need individual vigilance and collective action. We need to start talking openly about scams within our families, communities, and congregations. We need to educate our friends and family to double check and verify calls and requests before letting money leave our hands. We need to realize that if something feels too good to be true, it’s probably not a holiday miracle — it’s likely a scam.

But we also need broader change. We need to push our policymakers to give law enforcement the tools, resources, and support they need to tackle scams head-on. Too often, law enforcement officials are unable to apprehend or track down scammers because the criminals operate internationally and outside of their jurisdiction. Our lawmakers must create frameworks that empower local agencies to act swiftly, without being crippled by burdensome restrictions or a lack of resources.

We also need far more pressure on and accountability of the tech companies that operate the social media platforms where these scams are allowed to proliferate. Scammers run rampant on the social media platforms we use every day, and tech companies profit wildly off their ad revenue. This is just one more way that scammers use our desire to give during the holidays as leverage for financial scams. Our policymakers must hold these companies accountable to protect users from fraudsters exploiting their sites.

Scam vigilance isn’t just self-protection, it is communal care. Scams prey on the vulnerable, but solidarity, awareness, and faith are what make us strong. Let’s celebrate this holiday season by giving, but also by guarding — informing, advocating for, and protecting our neighbors from these crimes, and in the process strengthening the bonds that make our communities strong and resilient.