Phishing for Love: How Valentine's Day Scams Target Employees and Businesses

As the calendar turns to February, love is in the air—or at least that’s what marketers would have us believe. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, hearts and flowers pop up in every shop window, and gift guides flood our inboxes. Valentine’s Day seems to ignite a spirit of giving and connection. However, beneath this cheerful facade lies a sinister reality: the rise of Valentine’s Day scams.

While we celebrate love, cybercriminals are busy orchestrating phishing schemes that specifically target unsuspecting individuals and businesses. In fact, it's estimated that global cybercrime costs could skyrocket to an astounding $10.5 trillion annually this year, up from $3 trillion a mere decade ago—it's evident that these scams are not just a minor inconvenience, but a growing serious threat.

The fallout from these scams extends beyond broken hearts, it can have devastating consequences for businesses and employees as well. When employees fall prey to phishing emails—whether by clicking deceitful links or inadvertently sharing their credentials on fake shopping sites—the fallout can be disastrous. Such missteps can expose companies to potential data breaches, putting personal financial information or social security numbers at risk and potentially paving the way for full-scale cyberattacks.

In this blog, we'll explore why individuals are particularly vulnerable to scams during Valentine's Day, which warning signs to look out for, and most importantly, how Telesystem's cybersecurity services can fortify your business against these attacks.

Why Employees are Vulnerable to Cyberattacks Around Valentines Day

Valentine's Day is a time when emotions run high, and this emotional landscape presents a unique opportunity for cybercriminals. Employees, inadvertently caught in the crossfire of love and cybercrime, find themselves particularly vulnerable to attacks during this season of affection. Here's why the workplace becomes a prime target for cyberattacks around Valentine's Day:

• Increased Personal Activities on Work Devices: With the rise of remote work, many employees use their work devices for personal tasks, including shopping for gifts, browsing romantic getaways, or sending heartfelt messages to loved ones. This convergence of personal and professional usage creates an ideal environment for cybercriminals to infiltrate company networks through unsuspecting employees.

• Clicking on Malicious Links: Cybercriminals capitalize on the heightened emotions surrounding Valentine's Day by sending phishing emails disguised as e-cards, romantic offers, or dating site notifications. Employees, eager to spread love and cheer, may click on these seemingly harmless links, unknowingly granting cybercriminals access to sensitive company data or introducing malware into the corporate network.

• Social Engineering Tactics: Cyber attackers are adept at leveraging social engineering tactics to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise cybersecurity. Around Valentine's Day, they may craft convincing messages posing as secret admirers or offering exclusive deals on romantic gifts, enticing employees to disclose personal or professional details that can be exploited for malicious purposes.

• Distraction and Emotional Vulnerability: The emotional intensity of Valentine's Day can impair judgment and heighten vulnerability to cyber threats. Employees preoccupied with planning romantic surprises or navigating relationship dynamics may overlook red flags in suspicious emails or fall prey to scams promising extravagant gestures of affection.

• Lack of Awareness and Training: Despite the growing awareness of cybersecurity threats, many employees remain inadequately informed about the risks associated with Valentine's Day cybercrime. Without proper training and education on recognizing and mitigating potential threats, employees are more susceptible to falling victim to social engineering tactics and phishing scams.

In other words, the romantic season assembles the perfect storm of circumstances for malicious attackers to strike and succeed, and it is crucial for companies to implement protective measures during this period of heightened vulnerability. An important step is understanding the different types of Valentines Day Scams, as prevention is far more effective than damage control.

Common Valentine’s Day Phishing Scams

During the romantic holiday season, cybercriminals employ various tactics to target individuals and businesses. Phishing attacks often ramp up during the holidays, and Valentine's Day is no exception. Cybercriminals take advantage of the emotional nature of the season, crafting messages that appear to be from legitimate sources. These messages typically promise something enticing—romantic gifts, special deals, or exclusive offers—and aim to persuade recipients to divulge sensitive information or click on malicious links. A crucial step in protecting your company is understanding these common Valentine's Day Phishing scams:

Romantic Phishing Emails: Cybercriminals frequently send emails that appear to be from online dating sites, enticing individuals with messages that indicate they’ve received a “special message” from a potential match. These emails often contain links that direct users to fraudulent websites created to steal login credentials or personal information. A recent study reveals that Tinder has become the most impersonated dating app, showing a shocking 43% rise in attacks compared to the same time last year, with 53% of these attacks masquerading as legitimate communications from the brand. 

Valentine's Day E-Cards: One of the most rampant scams during Valentine's Day involves e-cards. Scammers send emails claiming to be from reputable e-card services, encouraging the recipient to click a link to view a "gift." However, these links often lead to phishing sites designed to steal personal information or infect devices with malware. 

Love Scams on social media: While these scams aren’t traditional phishing threats in a corporate environment, they can still significantly impact employees, particularly those working remotely. Victims may find themselves coerced via social media into sending money or divulging sensitive company information under the pretense of a romantic relationship.

Gift Card Scams: A popular tactic during this time is the gift card scam, where employees receive seemingly legitimate requests from their superiors asking them to purchase gift cards for a company event or employee rewards. These messages often appear urgent to create a sense of pressure, making employees more likely to comply without verifying the request. In fact, gift cards topped the list among reported scams—24% of individuals who lost money to a romance scam in 2022 indicated that gift cards were used in the theft.

Fake Valentines Day Promotions and Giveaways: Scammers set up enticing websites that promise great deals on flowers, chocolates, and gifts. Employees, lured in by these tempting offers, may click on what seems like an irresistible bargain, only to discover they’ve unintentionally given their credit card information to a fraudulent site.

Being aware of these types of holiday cybercrime is the first step in protecting your business. However, cybercrime education should not stop there. Let's explore the ways your business and employees can stay protected all year long.

How Telesystem Can Help 

Valentine's Day and romance scams have been a longstanding concern for individuals and businesses alike. While these scams have been around for years, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in the number of romance scams, as more people turn to digital platforms to connect with others. Unfortunately, this has also led to cybercriminals improving their skills and becoming more adept at carrying out these scams. 

At Telesystem, we understand the importance of safeguarding your organization from cyber threats. Our comprehensive security solutions can help you identify and mitigate risks associated with romance and Valentine's Day scams.

We believe that knowledge is power when it comes to protecting your business. By understanding the tactics used by cybercriminals, you can better prepare your employees and yourself to identify and avoid falling victim to these scams.

Employee Security Awareness Training 

As Valentine's Day approaches, many employees find themselves spending extra time online, searching for the perfect gift or exploring new connections during this season of love. While this surge in online activity benefits retailers and dating apps, it simultaneously provides opportunities for cybercriminals looking to exploit individuals during this busy period.

With over 92% of security breaches linked to human error, it becomes evident that employees—the very backbone of a company—can inadvertently turn into its most significant vulnerability. The rise of romance scams, for instance, often aims not for financial gain alone but to gain unauthorized access to an organization’s sensitive systems and data. These social engineering tactics frequently target high-level employees, with the intent to coax them into leaking vital information or clicking on malicious links that could compromise company devices and the organization.

Romance scams often disguised as phishing attempts, malware attacks, and other deceptive practices often target employees unaware of basic cyber security practices. The repercussions of this can be severe, leading to breaches that may cost companies millions. In fact, estimates from the World Economic Forum reveal that two-thirds of organizations face heightened risks due to a shortage of cybersecurity expertise. Remarkably, only 15% of firms anticipate significant growth in cyber skills by 2026. The global shortage of several million cybersecurity professionals combined with the lack of continuous training of current specialists presents a very concerning situation for businesses everywhere.

Given these challenges, organizations must prioritize employee security awareness training as a fundamental defense strategy that extends beyond IT departments. Insufficient cybersecurity awareness can lead to dire consequences, as employees often become the first line of defense against cyber scams that threaten to expose sensitive company information. This is precisely why comprehensive employee security awareness training is vital. It covers essential aspects of cybersecurity, including prevalent social engineering tactics such as romance scams.

Telesystem’s automated, ongoing employee security awareness training program is designed to be engaging, interactive, and tailored to meet the specific needs of your organization. The platform teaches employees how to recognize phishing attempts, identify fake phone calls generated by AI, and spot other deceptive tricks. By learning about common scams, employees can help reduce the chances of their company becoming a victim during their busy days. The trainings promote teamwork in cybersecurity, encouraging everyone to play a part in keeping the organization safe. When employees know how to identify strange behavior, they are more likely to report it quickly and correctly.

At the heart of a strong cybersecurity culture lies the understanding that people—not just technology—are central to security efforts. Employees can be both the weakest and the strongest links in this chain. Therefore, it's vital to create an environment where employees become the first line of defense. By prioritizing security awareness training in this season of love, organizations can empower their teams to act as human firewalls—able to detect, block, and report malicious activities.

Advanced Email Protection

Valentine's Day is a time of celebration, love, and affection, but it’s also an opportune moment for cybercriminals to target unsuspecting individuals and businesses through email. Each year, there’s an alarming spike in Valentine's Day-themed phishing scams—recent data shows that cyber attackers launch over 400 new scams weekly during this period, representing a staggering 29% increase in successful attacks compared to the previous year.

The surge in these threats is attributed to the sheer volume of emails employees receive during this romantic season. With a triple increase in correspondence—ranging from holiday promotions to shipment confirmations—employees are not only navigating their regular workloads but are also under pressure to meet the expectations of their loved ones. Cybercriminals exploit this context to entice victims with seemingly harmless emails that contain malicious attachments or embedded links cleverly disguised as Valentine’s Day offers. This can lead organizations down a perilous path, exposing them to significant financial losses and potential data breaches.

As a business, it's crucial to understand the heightened risks associated with romance-related scams. The blurred lines between personal and professional device usage create a perfect storm for security vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals are acutely aware of this, often targeting employees during business hours to distract and manipulate them. The situation can escalate dramatically if an attacker manages to engage an employee long enough to deploy ransomware, jeopardizing sensitive company data. In the previous year alone, more than 30 million spam emails related to online dating were circulated daily, sent from around 950,000 different IP addresses. With advancements in AI, these scams have become increasingly sophisticated, utilizing fake domains and chatbots to masquerade as legitimate entities or even potential romantic partners.

In light of these evolving threats, businesses must adopt a proactive stance on email security. This is where Telesystem’s Advanced Email Protection becomes an invaluable asset. Our solution effectively shields organizations from spam, email viruses, and malware, addressing many overlooked forms of email-based attacks. Moreover, our system provides encryption and thorough screening of outbound emails to safeguard critical internal information from unintended recipients.

With Telesystem’s comprehensive email security solution in place, companies and employees can focus on their business success, resting assured that both their personal and professional information is secure from cyber threats. Investing in advanced email protection is not just a precaution; it’s a necessary strategy to protect your organization in a world where love is often paired with cyber danger.

Telesystem is here for your business 

This Valentine’s Day, cybercriminals aren’t looking for love—they’re looking for an easy way into your business. A single click on a fake e-card, a fraudulent gift offer, or an urgent HR request could open the door to stolen credentials, financial fraud, or even a full-scale cyberattack. The consequences can be devastating, but with the right precautions, they’re entirely preventable.

At Telesystem, we know that cybersecurity isn’t just about technology—it’s about protecting your employees, your data, and your business from evolving threats. That’s why we provide advanced email protection, security awareness training, and multi-layered cybersecurity solutions to keep your organization safe from phishing scams and cybercriminals this Valentine’s season and beyond. At Telesystem, we don’t just care about your network—we care about your peace of mind.

Learn more about our full suite of security solutions at www.trusttelesystem.com/security.