Avast launches animated series to educate on holiday scams
Avast, a digital security and privacy company under Gen, introduced a new animated series called “The Twelve Days of Scam-mas” to increase awareness about holiday fraud. The series was published daily on Avast's YouTube channel from December 1 to December 12, 2025.
The initiative corresponds with a rise in holiday-related cyber threats; research shows that fake online shopping site attacks more than doubled during the previous holiday season, with over 1.26 million fraudulent advertisements blocked by Gen. About one-third of Americans reported being targeted by scams during the holiday period, coinciding with typical seasonal activities.
The series employs concise, colorful episodes featuring a character named Deceivus, a robot symbolizing scammers who use emotional manipulation, urgency, and trust to deceive individuals. Each episode highlights a distinct type of seasonal scam, including counterfeit online retailers, falsified delivery notifications, and suspicious giveaways, based on threat data collected by Gen's research teams.
Across the twelve days, Avast published daily one-minute episodes to provide accessible safety information through storytelling that avoids technical terms. The overall goal was to assist viewers in recognizing various scams prevalent during the holiday period and promote discussion about safe digital practices within families.
Leyla Bilge, Director of Scam Research Labs at Avast, said, “With our new 'Scam-mas' series, we're making essential safety tips accessible to all and serving them with a side of holiday cheer. By wrapping real-life lessons in engaging, festive stories, we hope to help families shop, share, and celebrate with confidence.”
The release invited viewers to watch episodes at scheduled times and share them to support broader awareness. The company presented this effort as part of their broader cybersecurity offerings protecting users from online threats across devices including mobile, PC, and Mac platforms.