TA: Building a culture of protection

With less than a month until Christmas, I feel a responsibility to raise a topic that continues to grow every year. Digital hoaxes and scams are evolving faster than most people can keep up with.

This season brings excitement, generosity, travel, and celebration. But at the same time, it also brings distraction.

Scammers know this, and they plan around it. They count on busy minds and tired eyes. They count on people skipping verification because the queue is long, the kids are hungry, and the to-do list grows longer each day.

A few days ago, the BBC reported on the AI hoax at the Buckingham Palace Christmas Market in London. It spread across social platforms like wildfire. It looked cheerful and inviting, the images were polished, glowing with holiday charm. Many people shared it without thinking twice.

I remember seeing one of the first posts and thinking it looked strange. Buckingham Palace has a shop but has never hosted anything like that, so I saved the post to revisit later. When I dug deeper, I realised it was fake.

A complete digital fabrication created to draw attention and trigger engagement. To the untrained eye, it looked real enough to trust.

But even those of us who work in tech can nearly get pulled in when the illusion is strong enough. Technology has made misinformation cheap, fast, and very convincing.

If this can happen with something as harmless as a Christmas market, imagine what can happen with fake travel deals, counterfeit charity drives, cloned customer service hotlines, or AI-generated messages that mimic your bank, your boss, or your family member.

This holiday season is the perfect time to step back and remind people about the digital hygiene that protects them. Because once we enter December, scammers get bolder, their tactics sharpen, and their timing becomes precise. And yes, they always take advantage of our busiest weeks.

The full article was posted first in the publication "Tomorrow's Affairs" on November 30th, 2025

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