Holiday-Season Cyber Threats Facing Luxury Retailers: An Interview With Milano Jewelry

Luxury retailers face a surge in fraud during the holidays. Cybercriminals know that this is the time of year when buyers are not only shopping more, but are also more likely to spend on big-ticket items. The increase in traffic to luxury retailers, coupled with shoppers often feeling rushed or confused, can create the perfect opportunity for scammers to build lookalike storefronts, sell fake gift cards, and send phishing emails that mimic trusted brands.

To learn how a fine jewelry brand handles these risks and protects their customers, Inovo InfoSec spoke with Rahul Kheskwani, President of Milano Jewelry. Milano Jewelry is known for exceptional craftsmanship and premium fine jewelry collections. Rahul leads the family-owned business and learned the trade on the factory floor, polishing stones and making jewelry by hand. Below, he explains the threats luxury retailers face each holiday season and what customers can do to shop safely.

Why are luxury retailers such a big target for cyber threats during the holiday season?

Rahul: Scammers follow trust and value, and luxury retail has both. During the holidays, shoppers are buying high-value pieces quickly, often for the first time and often online. Fraudsters take advantage of that. A trusted jewelry brand carries real credibility, and criminals want to borrow it. The stronger a brand's reputation, the more appealing it is to copy. Luxury retailers need to treat holiday cybersecurity as an integral part of protecting the customer experience and their reputation.

What are lookalike storefronts, and how can shoppers spot them?

Rahul: Lookalike storefronts are fake websites designed to resemble a real retailer. They often use stolen product photos, copied descriptions, and a web address that differs from the real one by a letter or two. Along with always making sure to check the URL of the site you’re on, I recommend that customers look out for:

• Prices that seem too good to be true on fine jewelry

• Missing contact details, return policies or a physical store address

• Unusual payment requests, such as wire transfers or cryptocurrency

How do gift card scams affect luxury retailers and their customers?

Rahul: Gift cards are one of the most popular holiday gifts, which makes gift card fraud a major seasonal threat. Common scams include fake gift card "giveaways," resale listings for cards that have already been drained, and fraudsters posing as the brand to ask for payment in gift cards. A legitimate luxury retailer will never ask a customer to pay a bill, fee, or deposit with gift cards. [CONFIRM WITH RAHUL: At Milano, our gift cards are sold only on milanojewelry.com and in our stores.] Buy gift cards only through the brand's official channels, and keep your receipt and card details until the gift is used.

What does brand-impersonation phishing look like, and how should customers respond?

Rahul: Some of the most common phishing scams are emails that are made to look like an order confirmation, a shipping delay notice, an "exclusive holiday offer," or a warning that there's a problem with your account. These messages typically copy logos and wording to look real and may even come from email addresses that are similar to those of the brand they’re mimicking. Their goal is to steal login details, payment information, or personal data. Before you click, check the sender's full email address, hover over links (or long-press them on your phone) to see where they lead, and be wary of urgent language. If you're unsure, contact the retailer directly through its official website or phone number. A trusted luxury brand would rather confirm a message is real than have a customer fall for a scam. [CONFIRM WITH RAHUL: Milano will never ask for your password or full card number by email, text, or phone.]

What should someone do if they think they've been scammed by a fake site or message?

Rahul: Immediately contact your bank or card issuer to dispute the charge and, if needed, cancel or freeze the card. If you entered a password, change it right away, along with any other account that uses the same one. Then let the real retailer know about the scam, so it can warn other customers and work to take the fake site down. You can also report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The sooner a scam is reported, the fewer people it reaches.

What should luxury retailers do to protect their customers and their brand this holiday season?

Rahul: Protecting customers is part of what makes a luxury brand trustworthy. Retailers should monitor for lookalike domains and fake social media accounts, set up email authentication (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC) so their messages can't be easily spoofed, and tell customers clearly how the brand will and won't contact them. Staff training matters too, because employees are often the first to hear about a suspicious message or website. Our

customers expect the same care in how we protect them as in how we make our jewelry. Security is part of that promise.

Inovo InfoSec thanks Rahul Kheskwani and Milano Jewelry for sharing their view of holiday-season cyber threats facing luxury retailers. To explore Milano Jewelry's fine jewelry collections, visit www.milanojewelry.com. To learn how Inovo InfoSec helps businesses defend against phishing, brand impersonation, and fraud, visit www.inovois.com.