In Home Alone 2, the wet bandits collect toys for a fake charity. In Bad Santa, the mall Santa robs department stores. In Jingle All the Way, counterfeit toy sellers attempt to scam parents desperate for the season’s sold-out sensation. In the movies, the holidays are often a time when would-be thieves seize their opportunity to take advantage of others’ cheer and generosity.
In real life, how many of us are truly worried about holiday crime?
We wanted to know, so we asked a representative sample of 1,200 Americans if they feared scams this holiday season. We found that Americans are taking that old plot device to heart — particularly regarding online scams. Most are concerned about potential online scams during the busy shopping season. Further, that fear is growing, with Americans more worried than they were at this time last year.
While their fears are common and increasing, we don’t all worry equally. Women, Southerners, and those with at least some college education express more worry. Midwesterners, high school grads, and men are the least concerned.
Perhaps Americans’ increased anxiety stems from the new concern wrapped up this year: artificial intelligence (AI). With technological advances allowing for more realistic scams, more Americans than ever are tempering their comfort and joy with a new holiday emotion: anxiety.
Big Takeaways
- 86% of Americans are concerned about scams this holiday season, and those who are “extremely concerned” outnumber those who aren’t concerned at all. Only 14% of Americans aren’t worried about holiday scams.
- About the same number — 87% — are worried AI is helping scammers.
- 55% say scams are getting worse this year, and only 5% of Americans feel less concern than they did last year.
- Certain demographics worry more than others. Women are 5% more likely to be “extremely concerned” about scams than men, those with at least some college education are 4% more likely to be very or somewhat concerned, and Southerners are 7% more likely to be “a lot more” worried than last year.
86% of People are Concerned about Online Scams this Holiday Season
Public WiFi networks crowded with travelers, retail cart credit card data extractions, and even fraudulent apps that mimic legitimate companies all threaten the public this holiday season. And the public is more aware of these scams than ever before: 61% of Americans have had their personal data breached.
Scams can seem ubiquitous. So it makes sense that 86% of respondents express some level of concern, with more than a fifth of the country “extremely concerned” about scams. The highest percentage of Americans are “somewhat concerned” about scams during the holiday season, at 39%.
Who’s most worried? Gender makes a difference.
Men are 42% more likely than women to say they’re “not concerned” about online scams, hacks, and data breaches. And overall, women are over 14% more worried than men, with 64% saying they are “somewhat” or “extremely” concerned vs. 56% of men.
87% of People are Concerned About how AI is Helping Scammers
Almost half of Americans (44%) say they’re “very concerned,” with 43% more “somewhat concerned” about how AI technology is helping scammers create more convincing and personalized scams.
Why be concerned? AI could be utilized to harm Americans in various ways: It can create increasingly realistic product images, payment portals, email links, and even mimic familiar voices to lure Americans into clicking malicious links and divulging personal data. Even when individuals aren’t the target, attackers can use AI-powered tactics to take advantage of the busy season and undermine retailers’ security tactics, gaining access to customer data.
While most Americans think that’s worrying, 3% aren’t sweating it at all. That’s 93% fewer than those who expressed the most concern. There are also fewer people than were unconcerned about online scams overall. To put it another way, more Americans are worried about AI’s use in online scams than are worried about online scams in general. It’s not the scams that are giving Americans pause: it’s the AI.
Those who have completed some college or who have graduated with a college or post-grad degree are more likely to say they’re “very” or “somewhat” concerned (89%). However, those who never attended college are twice as likely to say they’re not at all concerned about AI’s use in scams.
| Responses, by education level: | % with some college, or post-grad degree | % who never attended college |
| Very concerned | 44% | 44% |
| Somewhat concerned | 45% | 40% |
| Not very concerned | 9% | 12% |
| Not concerned at all | 2% | 4% |
Over 1/2 of People are More Concerned About Scams, Hacks, or Data Breaches This Year Than Last Year
Worry is rising: More than half of Americans (51%) are more concerned about scams this year than last, while 44% say they feel “about the same.” Just 5% of Americans say their anxiety about cyber threats is decreasing.
Americans’ anxiety may be rising because attacks themselves are increasing: DDoS attacks are up 46%, phishing scams related to large events like the Olympics made headlines this year, and almost half of Americans have been targeted in shopping scams.
And while 44% of Americans feel about the same as last year, among those whose concern levels have shifted, the trend is overwhelmingly toward heightened anxiety. Americans expressing greater worry this year outnumber those with less concern 10 to 1.
| Responses: | % of respondents |
| A lot more | 19% |
| A little bit more | 32% |
| About the same | 44% |
| A little bit less | 3% |
| Way less | 2% |
| Grand Total | 100.0% |
Where Americans live is linked to their anxiety, with 24% of Southerners saying they are “a lot more” concerned this year compared to last year. Though that represents just a 10% point difference, the figure is proportionally 71% higher than their midwestern counterparts, only 14% of whom are “a lot more” concerned in 2024.
Northeasterners are the least likely to see their worry subside this year, with none saying they’re worrying “way less” about cyber scams than last year.
Is 2024 a Merry “Griftmas” for Scammers?
Americans are heeding the lessons of holiday films as they worry more about holiday scams this year. Their concerns are growing about the possibility that AI is poised to increase the success rate of scams and data breaches.
While concerns are ubiquitous and growing, they’re not static across all groups and regions. Midwesterners, high school grads, and men are the least concerned, while women, Southerners, and those with at least some college education are more concerned.
AI bots imitating our favorite brands (let alone our loved ones) isn’t as pervasive a part of the holiday season as peppermint mochas and mall Santas — yet — but the growing concern about AI-driven scams and cybercrime highlights an important reality: protecting our personal and financial information is becoming as essential a part of the holidays as decking the halls.
Methodology
This holiday AI scam survey was conducted via Pollfish, with 1200 American respondents, on November 20, 2024. Survey technology includes a representative sample reflecting the demographics of the US across state residence, sex, race, income level, and age.
