‘Tis the season… for scams

The holidays are a time for goodwill, warmth, and connection. Unfortunately, it’s also the perfect moment for scammers to strike. Between last-minute shopping, travel plans, and a flurry of digital distractions, it’s easy to overlook red flags. That’s exactly what scammers count on, whether they’re running slick fake shopping sites or sending urgent “package delivery” texts designed to trip you up when you’re busiest.

To help people stay ahead of these threats and protect their holiday cheer, Avast has launched “The Twelve Days of Scam-mas,” a new 12-episode YouTube series running December 1–12. Each short, one-minute animated episode is inspired by a real scam, told in festive rhyme, and starring a mischievous villain, Deceivus.

Check out the new series trailer here

Cyber safety shouldn’t feel scary

The holiday season — full of emotion, generosity, and last-minute decisions — is the perfect environment for deception. From fake online shops to too-good-to-be-true giveaways, scammers rely on one thing: catching you off guard.

Avast scam experts saw this play out last holiday season, when:

• The amount of attacks from fake online shopping sites more than doubled, with nearly 3 million of such sited blocked in the US alone during the holidays
• We blocked over 1.26 billion dangerous online advertisements
• Hundreds of thousands of eager shoppers were spoofed by package delivery texts

At Avast, we believe cyber safety should be accessible, not intimidating. We know that not everyone is going to geek out about how to stay safe online by reading threat reports or technical breakdowns. We created "The Twelve Days of Scam-mas" to be friendly, fast, and fun, while still packing valuable lessons into every episode. We set out to make holiday scam safety something anyone can understand (and maybe even enjoy).

A countdown with a cyber twist

Think of "The Twelve Days of Scam-mas” as a holiday countdown that swaps carols for cyber smarts. Each one-minute video highlights a common scam that spikes during the holidays, from fake shopping deals to fraudulent charity appeals. No lectures. No jargon. Just short, colorful stories that show what’s happening, how it works, and how to avoid it.

Meet the star (and scoundrel) of the show

Every good story needs a memorable character. Ours is Deceivus, a bad bot who tries to trick people into falling for different holiday scams each day. Deceivus represents how scammers exploit emotion, urgency, and trust — the same feelings that make the holidays magical, and sometimes, risky. One day, he’s behind a fake online store. Another, he’s pulling at heartstrings running a bogus charity scheme or promising to send you a new puppy for Christmas. Each scam Deceivus attempts is grounded in our proprietary threat intelligence and reflects the real scams our researchers are tracking right now.

Where to watch

"The Twelve Days of Scam-mas" premieres December 1 and runs through December 12 on Avast’s YouTube channel with new episodes dropping daily at 2 p.m. PT/5 pm ET. Whether you’re helping your parents avoid fake delivery texts or teaching your kids to question sketchy giveaway links, "The Twelve Days of Scam-mas" is perfect for sharing in family group chats, community forums or as a quick “scam check” moment with friends and family.

Follow along to catch new episodes daily here and let Avast help guard your holiday cheer.