New Malwarebytes Research Reveals Social Media and Marketplaces Are Hotbeds for Holiday Scams

Daily scams hit 27% of people on social media and 15% on marketplaces

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Malwarebytes, a global leader in online protection, shared new research exposing how social media and online marketplaces have become hotbeds for holiday shopping scams. Scammers show up where consumers shop today, on mobile devices and via social media or marketplaces, exploiting the urgency and informal trust on these platforms—especially during the deal-heavy holiday shopping period.

Scammers take advantage of everyday shopping habits and seasonal stress by imitating trusted brands, sellers or creators in ways that feel entirely authentic. Fifty-one percent of people encounter scams on social media weekly while 27% encounter scams daily. For marketplace shoppers, 36% are hit with a scam weekly and 15% experience one daily. The $1 billion text message scam industry is yet another avenue for cybercriminals to lure victims around the holidays with delivery updates or USPS scams. Fifty-five percent of people get a scam text message weekly, while 27% are targeted daily.

"Amid the holiday rush, scammers and hackers unwrap new tricks," said Shahak Shalev, Global Head of Scam and AI Research, Malwarebytes. "We want to help shoppers of all generations spot the scams and tackle their holiday wish list with confidence – by shopping on legitimate websites and mobile apps, caring about who has their data, and providing free tools like Browser Guard to block harmful websites and Scam Guard to help spot malicious texts, emails or DMs."

Three scams to watch out for this holiday season

• Marketplace scams: Consumers tend to feel safe when transacting through platforms they use regularly, leaving them less likely to detect a scam. Younger shoppers are the most affected by scammers as peer-to-peer marketplaces offer the ideal mix of urgency and informality to trick shoppers into falling for a scam.
  • 33% have encountered a marketplace scam; 1 in 10 have been a victim
  • 70% of victims are Gen Z/Millennial (vs. 57% victims overall)
• Postal tracking scams: Postal tracking scams are already mainstream. As delivery volume surges in November and December, fake shipping update texts or emails blend easily into the real flood of notifications. Again, younger shoppers are the most impacted.
  • 42% have encountered a postal tracking scam; 12% have been a victim
  • 62% of victims of postal tracking scams are Gen Z/Millennial (vs. 57% of scam victims overall)
  • 83% click links to track the location of a package on their phone
• Ad-related malware: The holidays are prime time for ad-driven fraud. From flash sales to discount extensions, malicious ads prey on deal-seekers' impulse to click. Malwarebytes recently uncovered a Walmart gift card scheme that's actually a data-harvesting trap.
  • 58% have encountered ad-related malware; 27% have fallen victim
  • 40% of people have been targeted by Malvertising, while 11% have fallen victim
  • 45% of people have been targeted by Adware, while 20% have fallen victim

All-around protection from holiday scams

Malwarebytes Browser Guard  is a free ad blocker browser extension that delivers layered protection against holiday scams, phishing sites, and malware, while blocking intrusive ads and trackers for a safer, smoother shopping experience.

The latest version of Malwarebytes Browser Guard introduces an improved user experience with a comprehensive overview of a browser's protection activity. Shoppers can enable Advanced Skimmer Protection to stop cybercriminals from stealing payment information on checkout pages.

Other recent updates include:

• Ad blocking improvements: Malwarebytes improved its ad blocking capabilities by 50% over the past year. Its ad blocking technology is now also integrated into Malwarebytes Mobile Security for iOS.
• Additional protection improvements: Malwarebytes has added numerous advancements to boost protection against today's threats including improvements to heuristic protections for phishing, search hijacking protection, clipboard shell injection protection, improved download protection and skimmer protection, new blocks for additional risky executables and the removal of ping trackers.

Scam Guard: An AI-powered digital safety companion to thwart scams

Another free tool for stopping scammers in their tracks is Malwarebytes Scam Guard. Scam Guard provides real-time feedback on scams, threats and malware alongside digital safety recommendations. Users simply tap to submit suspicious content via a chat interface within the Malwarebytes Mobile Security app, or soon, via desktop. To learn more about Scam Guard and other great features, download the mobile app today.

Read the full 2025 Holiday Threat report.

To read more about the latest threats and cyber protection strategies, visit the Malwarebytes blog, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and X. 

About the Survey
The research is based on a March 2025 survey prepared by an independent research consultant and distributed via Forsta among n=1,300 survey respondents ages 18 and older in the United States, UK, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The sample was equally split for gender with a spread of ages, geographical regions and race groups, and weighted to provide a balanced view.

About Malwarebytes 
Malwarebytes is reimagining security to safeguard devices, data and people, no matter their location, lifestyle or means. A global leader in online protection, its suite of award-winning cybersecurity, privacy and identity solutions empower millions of people worldwide to enjoy their digital lives, free from threats and scams. Built and beloved by experts, Malwarebytes pairs a world-class team of threat researchers with proprietary AI-powered processes to supercharge and refine detections, providing unmatched protection against both known and unknown threats. Living up to its legacy, Malwarebytes continues to offer free tools that have long served as a first line of defense against malware and scams with new options for identity protection and data removal. 

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Learn more: https://www.malwarebytes.com.

Malwarebytes Media Contact: 
Ashley Stewart
Director of Public and Analyst Relations
[email protected]

SOURCE Malwarebytes