Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Visa Warns of Holiday Scam Surge Fueled by AI

New fraud-prevention sessions this week help holiday shoppers recognize impersonation tactics and pressure ploys.

Overview

  • Visa’s 2025 Holiday Threats Report says criminals are using AI to build convincing fake sites and scale outreach to steal payment data.
  • Experts flag five prevalent schemes this season: cloned retail websites, package-delivery phishing, pay-to-apply job offers, travel booking fraud, and sham charities.
  • Consumers are urged to skip unknown links, validate websites directly, call verified numbers for banks or shippers, and research deals that seem too good to be true.
  • In Ohio, Benjamin Rose and the Cuyahoga County Scam Squad partnered with Chase on workshops during International Fraud Awareness Week to coach older adults and other shoppers.
  • Chase highlights mobile purchase alerts and free Credit Journey identity monitoring for anyone, as the FTC reports Ohioans lost $228 million to fraud last year.