Festive Season Scams & Brand Impersonation: What Businesses Should Watch For

The festive season is one of the busiest times of the year for online shopping.

It is also a perfect time for scammers to copy trusted brands, launch fake offers and create convincing shopping pages that look genuine at first glance.

CERT-In has previously warned about festival-themed campaigns targeting Indian customers through fake messages on WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram. These campaigns used popular brand names, festive offers, gift links and prizes to drive users to fraudulent websites. CERT-In

For businesses, the risk is not only fraud against customers.

It is also damage to brand trust.

Why do festive season scams work so well?

Festive periods create three things attackers like:

urgency, discounts and high transaction volume.

Customers expect flash sales, coupons, delivery messages and limited-time offers. As a result, a fake message promising “70% off today only” may not immediately look suspicious.

CERT-In’s scam guidance notes that phishing messages often copy the logos and branding of trusted organisations. They also use urgent language to push users toward fake websites designed to collect credentials or payment details. CERT-In

The National Payments Corporation of India also warns users about fake cashback links, QR-code scams, unknown apps and misleading online offers. In particular, NPCI reminds users that a UPI PIN is entered to send money, not to receive cashback or rewards. NPCI

That makes festive campaigns attractive to scammers because legitimate brands are already sending more promotions than usual.

What does brand impersonation look like during festivals?

Brand impersonation does not always mean someone copies your entire website.

Sometimes the scam is much simpler.

Fake shopping websites

Attackers may register a domain that looks almost identical to a real brand.

For example:

yourbrand-sale.com

instead of:

yourbrand.com

The page may use the same logo, colours, product images and even copied customer reviews.

The goal is to make the customer trust the site long enough to pay or share personal information.

Fake social media accounts

Scammers can create accounts that look like an official brand page and promote festive giveaways or “exclusive deals.”

They may then ask customers to:

• Click a link
• Share personal details
• Pay a small “processing fee”
• Scan a QR code
• Send an OTP
• Forward the offer to friends

CERT-In’s earlier festival advisory described exactly this pattern: fake festive offers were circulated through social platforms and messaging apps, leading users to phishing websites that asked for personal, banking or authentication information. CERT-In

Fake delivery or payment messages

Another common tactic is to send a message saying:

“Your order is delayed.”

“Payment failed.”

“Update delivery address.”

“Claim festive cashback.”

Because customers may actually be waiting for multiple orders, these messages can feel believable.

A realistic example

Imagine a retail brand running a Diwali sale.

A scammer creates a lookalike Instagram page using the same logo and product photos.

The page promotes:

“Diwali Flash Sale — 80% Off for the Next 2 Hours.”

The link sends customers to a fake website that closely resembles the real store.

A customer enters their phone number, card details and OTP.

The customer loses money.

However, the first company they blame may still be the real brand.

That is the hidden cost of brand impersonation.

Even when your systems were never breached, a fake page using your name can still create support complaints, negative reviews and loss of customer confidence.

How are these scams becoming more convincing?

Scammers are becoming better at copying how legitimate businesses communicate.

Microsoft’s 2026 threat research shows that attackers continue to use trusted branding, urgency and familiar services as social engineering lures. The company has observed campaigns using well-known brands to drive victims toward phishing, credential theft and malicious downloads. Microsoft

AI also makes impersonation easier.

CERT-In has warned that AI can generate convincing phishing content and fake websites that mimic trusted organisations or individuals. It recommends verifying suspicious links, urgent financial requests and unexpected digital communications. CERT-In

So a fake festive campaign may now have:

• Better-written copy
• More professional graphics
• Local-language messaging
• Realistic support conversations
• Faster creation of fake pages

This means poor spelling is no longer a reliable way to identify a scam.

What should businesses do before the festive rush?

You do not need a large security team to reduce the risk.

Start with the places where customers interact with your brand.

Monitor lookalike domains

Search for domains that copy or slightly modify your company name.

Pay attention to:

• Added words such as sale, offer or support
• Misspellings
• Different domain extensions
• Fake login or payment pages

Watch social media impersonation

Check whether new accounts are using your logo, name or promotional creatives.

Also make it easy for customers to identify your official accounts.

Publish your official offer channels

Tell customers where genuine promotions will appear.

For example:

“Festive offers are available only on our official website and verified social pages.”

This simple message gives customers a reference point.

Strengthen internal verification

Make sure marketing, support and security teams know how to handle reports of fake pages.

A customer complaint such as “Is this your offer?” should not sit unanswered for days.

Protect payment and email trust

Review your email authentication controls such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

Also monitor for fake payment pages, fraudulent QR codes and impersonation attempts involving your brand name.

Brand protection is not only a marketing problem

When a fake website or social account appears, the issue sits between security, marketing, legal and customer support.

That is where QSafe DRPS can fit naturally.

QSafe helps organisations monitor external digital risks such as lookalike domains, fake social profiles, phishing pages and other forms of brand impersonation.

For businesses running major festive campaigns, this can help teams identify suspicious activity earlier instead of waiting for customers to report it first.

It also supports the broader process of investigating and responding to impersonation incidents.

The key takeaway

Festive season scams work because they borrow trust from real brands.

The attacker does not need to compromise your website to damage your reputation.

They only need to look convincing enough for a customer to believe them.

That is why businesses should monitor where their brand is being copied, how customers are being redirected and what fake offers are circulating under their name.

The earlier you detect impersonation, the easier it is to reduce customer harm and protect brand trust.