May 8, 2013

The $1,000 Best Buy Gift Card Scam

The $1,000 Best Buy Gift Card Scam

You have WON a Best Buy Gift Card for $1000! Click on the link below and enter the code #8675309

If you received a text message telling you that you’ve won a Best Buy Gift Card… don’t get so excited. The sad truth is it’s a fraud, and the only thing you’ve won is a spam text message that’s looking to take you for a ride. And not the good kind that ends with you on a beach with a fancy drink in your hand that has a giant piece of fruit on the side.

Gift card scams are nothing new, but using SMS text messages to phish for victims, known as “smishing“, is something that’s gaining more ground, especially as more and more people begin to rely on their smartphones to consume their online habits like shopping, social media, and more. Smishing usually happens around holidays like Christmas or special shopping times like Black Friday, but the truth of the matter is that a smisher can easily send out their texts at any time to virtually anyone.

Here are some red flags to look out for if you receive a text claiming that you’ve won a gift card:

  • Asking for a PIN or other personal information:

    You should never be asked for any personally identifiable information by a site like Best Buy, Walmart, Target, etc. The only time you might be is if you’re on their shopping cart, on their server, and if the site is verified as a secure site. Even then, they won’t ask for your banking PIN, which is a clear indication that you’re being scammed. Stay secure online, and don’t submit your personal information to shady sites.

  • Text/email that mentions a contest entry you never submitted:

    This is a big one because if you didn’t enter, how can you win? Simple: You can’t. I get emails all the time (and text messages every now and then) which claim that I entered this contest or that, but I know they’re all scammers because I don’t, as a rule, enter contests. And if you’re not sure if you entered your name, it’s usually safer to just ignore the text anyhow.

  • You’re required to sign up for a “free” service:

    More often than not, that free service you’re required to sign up for to receive your gift card has some kind of kicker to it, like after 30 days you start paying $9.99/month, or something like that. And they may even tell you that they only need your credit card to verify your age, or that you can cancel any time before the service starts, but it’s all a ploy to get your bank info. Stay safe and steer clear.

Just like with unsubscribe links on a spam email, don’t be tempted to try to opt out of the text message either, because once you do the scammers have confirmation that they sent the text to a live, active phone number, email address, etc. Just ignore, delete, and move on with your day.

Have you or a friend or family member ever received a text message claiming you’ve won a gift card from Best Buy, Target, Walmart, or anywhere else? Let us know what happened below in the comments.

Additional Resources

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/denisemattox/6995059525/

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November 16, 2010

Reporting Online Fraud and Cybercrime

Reporting Online Fraud and Cybercrime

If you or someone you know is becomes the victim of online fraud or any other type of cybercrime (or even just an attempt at it), you need to contact the authorities as soon as possible. Keeping it to yourself can lead to repeated attacks, as well as continued spread of Internet fraud, crime, and even increased distribution of viruses and spyware through crime networks that try to set up shop on your computer.

Depending on what level of fraud and/or cybercrime you’re dealing with, you may have to notify multiple agencies. But regardless of how many places you have to contact, doing so will be the first step to stopping the crooks in their tracks. Please use the list below as a starting point to report any incident:

  • An Important First Step:

    If the fraud you’re reporting reporting is, or becomes, aggressive or threatening in any manner, contact your local authorities. The police in your community should be made aware of any potential threats to you, your family, your home, etc.

  • Get Into The System:

    Head to IC3.gov, the “Internet Crime Complaint Center”. This site is a partnership between several government agencies, including the FBI. The IC3 has an online complaint submission form that you can use to report online fraud and other Internet-related scams.

  • If It’s International…:

    If you feel you’re the victim of an international scam operation, contact econsumer.gov, a coalition of about 2 dozen countries who want to help stop cross-border cybercrime. You may also want to contact a US Secret Service field office to let them know, too.

  • Contact Credit Reporting Companies:

    If you think you’ve been the victim of identity theft, contact any one of the big 3 credit reporting companies. They’ll get your information disseminated to all three. Their contact info is as follows:

Don’t just be a victim of online fraud and cybercrime. Contact the appropriate authorities and government agencies and stop Internet-related crime before it stops you.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

If you're looking for great anti-virus software that won't break the bank, try StopSign. You don't pay extra for tech support for difficult malware, and our web protection software just works. Download & install StopSign to find out why our members choose us over the other options.

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