This week we’ve found a large number of scams that you need to watch out for, including ones relating to Mother’s Day, Zelle, Moderna, Netflix, Amazon, and PayPal. Would you have been able to spot all the scams?

Mother’s Day Shopping Scam

As Mother’s Day approaches, many people have started looking for gifts for their moms. Naturally, scammers have created scam shopping sites that aim to exploit you and steal your money/information. This week we found that they’ve been impersonating Crown & Paw, a pet supplies shop, and spreading links to fake websites via text messages:

• Crown & Paw:  💕 Mother’s Day Sale! 💕   Create the paw-fect gift for all the Moms and Pet Moms in your life… AND save an extra 20% while you’re at it! Your discount will be applied at checkout.  The big day is May 8… no time to waste!  SHOP NOW: <URL>  Text STOP to opt-out

The attached link leads to a fake Crown & Paw page. If you purchase something from here, it will be impossible to turn to them for help with any issues.

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Besides online shopping scams, phishing is one of the most commonly used tactics by scammers. Conventionally, while impersonating famous brands, they send out fake text messages and emails containing phishing links and try to entice you into opening them with various lies.

In such phishing schemes, the links will take you to fake log-in pages that appear to belong to various brands. These pages require you to submit log-in credentials to download a software update, change account settings, or whatever other tasks the scammers have asked you to complete. Here are some examples:

Fake Netflix Renewal Notifications

Ever received text messages about your Netflix renewal? We’ve written about a lot of fake text messages from Netflix before, and this week they are circulating again:

• We’re sorry to inform you that your monthly renewal has been decline. Call -NetflixTech team or login to confirm your details. <URL>

The link will take you to a fake Netflix log-in page. If you follow the instructions and sign in, or even enter credit card information, scammers will record everything and use the information to take control of your Netflix account!

Zelle Scams

We’ve seen Zelle scams before, and this week we detected a lot of phishing scams impersonating Zelle:

• Your Zelle Payments are on hold. Account under review. Visit {URL} to learn more. Reply STOP to opt-out of this message.

As mentioned, the link will take you to a fake Zelle page. The log-in info you’ve submitted here will end up in scammers’ hands, and they can thus hack into your Zelle account. Don’t let them!

PayPal Text Scams

Do you use PayPal? Although it’s quite convenient for transferring money online, scammers also find it convenient to trick people. Last month we reported on PayPal scam text messages, and this week they went viral again:

• pay-pai : dear customer, please submit this form, pay-pai take the security of your account very seriously. for your protection, we have suspended your account because we detected unusual sign in activity on your accoun with case-id#amzid23042022-8839766f2d, check now and login to verify {URL} thankyou.
• /paypal/ / your account have unusual activity. click here to view {URL}

Using fake payment notifications or security alerts as an excuse, scammers want you to click on the phishing link that goes to a fake PayPal page. Don’t type in any credentials here!

In other cases, the phishing links lead to online survey pages that state you can claim a gift by filling out an online questionnaire. After you complete the questionnaire, you are prompted to enter credit card details before your “gift” can be delivered:

Amazon Survey Scams

Amazon survey scams are anything but new to us, but somehow they just keep on thriving. This week, scammers promoted fake Amazon gift cards as a Valentine’s Day gift to lure you into clicking on the attached phishing link:

• You’ll receive something beautiful today, Maureen. A loved one is sending you a Valentine’s Day Amazon gift card. Get it now: <URL>🎉

Of course, there would be no gift, and you could end up exposing all your credentials. Be careful!

Moderna Survey Scam

“Congratulations! You can get a $90 Moderna gift card!” Posing as Moderna, scammers try to trick you into clicking on the embedded phishing link to “claim your gift.”

Mask Mandate

We also observed this mask mandate survey scam. Again, don’t get scammed!

How to Protect Yourself

• Always shop only on legitimate online shops.
• Double-check the sender’s mobile number/email address.
• Be suspicious of free gifts and prizes.
• Go to the official website/application instead of using links from unknown sources.
• Never click on links or attachments from unknown sources. Use Trend Micro Check to surf the web safely (it’s free!).
• Add an extra layer of protection to your device with Trend Micro Maximum Security. Its Web Threat Protection, Ransomware Protection, Anti-phishing, and Anti-spam Protection can help you combat scams and cyberattacks. Click the button below to give it a try:

As ever, if you’ve found this article an interesting and/or helpful read, please do SHARE it with friends and family to help keep the online community secure and protected.