Valentine’s Day isn’t just about love and gifts; it’s also a perfect time for cybercriminals to strike. Last year, Bitdefender found that 1 in 4 Valentine-themed spam emails were phishing scams—making it easier than ever for people to fall for fraudulent messages, fake deals, or malicious attachments.
Phishing remains a leading cause of data breaches, responsible for 15% of incidents.
With businesses exchanging gifts, emails, and online orders, scammers take full advantage. Learn how to spot the red flags and protect your business this Valentine season.
Watch Out for These Valentine’s Day Phishing Scams
Scammers use Valentine’s themes to make phishing attempts look real. Below are the most common scams and warning signs to watch for:
Business Email Compromise (BEC) Scams
Scammers impersonate HR, managers, or vendors, sending emails offering “exclusive gift cards” or “special discounts.” These messages may:
- Contain suspicious links or attachments.
- Request gift card codes (which scammers resell or use for fraud).
Fake Valentine’s Day Deals & Online Stores
Many businesses buy gifts for clients or employees, and scammers take advantage by creating fake online stores with:
- Unrealistic discounts on flowers, chocolates, or jewellery.
- Payment forms that steal credit card details.
Malicious E-Cards & Attachments
A surprise e-card (an electronic greeting card, created with digital media and shared online) might seem sweet, but clicking on a malicious attachment can download malware, ransomware, or keyloggers onto your company’s network.
Risk: 84% of employees interact with phishing emails within 10 minutes, increasing exposure to cyber threats.
Social Engineering via Romance Scams
Online romance scams don’t just affect individuals#
—they can compromise businesses, too. Employees who engage in fake online relationships may:
- Share sensitive company information.
- Transfer company funds believing they are helping a partner.
Stolen Logins from Fake Valentine’s Deliveries
Phishing emails disguised as delivery notifications trick employees into entering their login details on fake tracking sites. This gives hackers access to company accounts.
How to Keep Your Business Safe This Valentine’s Day
One wrong click can put your company at risk. Here’s how to avoid falling victim to scammers:
Training and Cyber Awareness
Cybercriminals are usually more proactive during holidays. You need to run short refresher training sessions before holidays, like Valentine’s Day, to reinforce phishing awareness and safe work practices. Contact us to learn more about our training programs.
Prevent phishing emails from reaching inboxes by:
- Using advanced email filters to block suspicious messages.
- Enabling DMARC, DKIM, and SPF authentication to prevent spoofing.
- Flagging external emails so employees can quickly identify messages from outside the company.
Require Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Even if scammers steal a password, MFA provides an added layer of security. Enforce MFA for email, financial accounts, and any platform with sensitive company data.
Set Clear Purchasing Policies
Avoid falling for fake Valentine’s Day promotions by:
- Allowing corporate purchases only from approved vendors.
- Ensuring all transactions go through verified company accounts.
Have an Incident Response Plan
Phishing attacks will happen—what matters is how fast you respond. Your IT team should:
- Investigate and report phishing attempts immediately.
- Revoke access for compromised accounts.
- Run security scans to detect malware infections.
- Alert employees and reinforce security awareness.
What to Do If a Phishing Scam Slips Through
If an employee falls for a scam, speed is everything. Act fast:
- Report it to IT/security teams immediately.
- Reset compromised passwords and enable MFA if it’s not already active.
- Block fraudulent email addresses and domains.
- Check financial records for unauthorized transactions.
- Review the incident and educate employees to prevent future attacks.
Scammers exploit holidays like Valentine’s Day to target businesses. You cannot afford to be lax, stay alert by training your team to verify emails, double-check links, and think before sharing sensitive information.
Want more tips to keep your business secure? Subscribe to the Cyberkach blog today and stay ahead of phishing scams.