New Zealanders risk scams as shortcuts drive holiday shopping

A new report from Norton highlights that as New Zealanders prepare for the holiday shopping season, the shortcuts and digital trends they rely on are providing openings for cyber scammers.

The 2025 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Holiday finds a growing number of consumers are engaging in risky behaviours, such as sharing personal information for discounts and making purchases through social media platforms, while also expressing concern about more sophisticated, AI-driven scams.

Shortcuts and risks

According to the study, 51% of New Zealanders have given away personal data, such as email addresses or phone numbers, to secure a discount during holiday shopping periods. This method, designed to simplify and hurry the process, is popular despite widespread awareness of the associated risks. Among younger adults, the statistics are higher, with Millennials standing out at 65% for this behaviour.

Social media channels are gaining influence over holiday purchasing choices. The report found that 31% of respondents said they have completed a holiday purchase after seeing an advert on social media, and 32% are using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as digital gift guides during the festive season. However, these same platforms are also the main route for cyber scams targeting holiday shoppers. The Gen Threat Report cited in the release indicates that fake online shops and fraudulent adverts make up over 50% of all scams identified on social media services.

Artificial intelligence is another factor changing the shopping landscape. Nearly a quarter (23%) of those surveyed plan to use tools like ChatGPT to search for gift ideas this Christmas, yet more than half (57%) harbour worries about falling victim to AI-generated scams targeting online shoppers.

"Convenience is irresistible. When you combine that with too good to be true deals you have a recipe for shopping disaster," said Mark Gorrie, Managing Director APAC for Gen Digital. "Scammers are leaning into both, and that split second when you drop your guard, they win. You fall for fake e-shops, bogus social ads, and lose your personal and financial details, and your money."

Urgency and susceptibility

Rushed decision-making is intensifying as the end-of-year buying season approaches. The research highlights that 21% of New Zealanders have been targeted by a holiday shopping scam in previous years, with 39% of those reporting they had actually fallen victim to such attacks. Younger generations demonstrate greater willingness to take risks, with 48% of Gen Z respondents indicating they undertake unconventional actions to obtain high-demand items, such as clicking potentially suspicious adverts (22%) or buying products from strangers they connect with on social media (14%).

These habits, combined with the growing sophistication of online scams, increase the risk of personal and financial losses during a period when most are focused on bargains and prompt gifting.

"The holidays create perfect conditions for fraud - pressure to buy now, never ending ads, calls to action, and emotional choices," Gorrie added. "Scammers count on that tiny window when you stop double-checking and your guard drops. That is when they strike. The level of sophistication in modern scams means even switched-on shoppers can be caught out."

Changing landscape

The report shows how technology integrates deeply with modern holiday shopping, offering both increased convenience and new vulnerabilities. Instant offers, time-limited deals, and technology-driven recommendations are drawing more consumers to platforms where the risks have increased in parallel.

The findings are based on a survey conducted by Dynata on behalf of Gen among 1,000 adults across New Zealand, with demographic weighting to ensure national representation. The report, as well as insights from Gen Threat Labs, reflects a broader effort to map and explain shifts in cyber threats in the evolving online retail landscape, particularly around key shopping seasons.

With holiday spending set to accelerate and more shoppers using digital tools and social platforms, the importance of vigilance is highlighted by the report's conclusions. The report underscores that while digital channels provide helpful shortcuts for consumers, they remain prime terrain for cybercriminal activity.