Amazon Prime Day will take place tomorrow! It’s always exciting to seek the best deal online. But do you realize that scammers are also targeting you? In this post, we will list several online shopping scam cases detected this week. Would you have spotted them?

Fake Promotions via Text Messages

Promoting fake sales campaigns for Independence Day (or other holidays) as an excuse, scammers will aim to seduce you with irresistible, too-good-to-be-true deals — all wrapped up in text messages containing malicious links.

These links will lead to copy-cat websites impersonating genuine brands. Some of these fake sites look identical to the legitimate ones, making it hard to tell which is which. If you take a closer look at the web addresses, however, you should be able to successfully decide whether a website is real or not.   

#1 Costa Sunglasses

Yeah, summer is here! You can tell from the number of scam text messages impersonating famous sunglasses brands:

• [Costa_Outlet] Independence Day 2022: Up to 75% Off And Free Shipping. Extra 20% Off For $150. Get Deal <URL> Reply STOP to Opt Out

Sample scam URL:

• Yoygql[.]com

#2 Blenders Eyewear

• [Blenders’ Sunglasses] Independence Day Sale. Up To 60% Off. Free shipping over $69! Buy Now <URL> Reply STOP to Opt Out

Sample scam URL:

• blenders[.]xxrknol[.]com

#3 Pit Viper Sunglasses

• [Pit Viper Sunglasses] Independence Day Sale. Lowest Price $36. Extra $15 Off for $80! Shop Now https://pitviper.xhqswn.com/?630 Reply STOP to Opt Out

Sample scam URL:

• pitviper[.]xhqswn[.]com

#4 Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry

• [Jared_Outlet] Independence Day Offers: Rings 70% Discount. Extra $10 Off for $120. View All <URL> Reply STOP to Opt Out

Sample scam URL:

• ollsgn[.]shop

#5 Fanatics

• [Fanatics J’erse’ys Outlet] Enjoy 76% Off Independence Day Sale. Every Item On Sale Now. {URL} Reply STOP to end
• [Sports Apparel] Save big this Independence Day with savings of up to 70% Off. {URL} Reply STOP to end
• [Je-rseys Independence Day Sale] – Get Best Deal This Summer. Lowest Pricce $22.99. {URL} Reply STOP to end

Sample scam URLs:

• Bestsportsjersev[.]shop
• Hotfansuniform[.]com
• hotsportjersev2022[.]com

Fake Promotions via Emails

Besides text messages, scammers are also spreading links to fake online shops via emails.

#6 Ray-Ban

We’ve reported on fake Ray Ban promotional campaigns before, and now they’ve gone viral again:

“Ray-Ban Sunglasses Up To 90% Off!” Although the offer is tempting, it doesn’t sound legitimate at all. If you take the bait and click on the attached link, you will be taken to a fake Ray-Ban phishing website:

Sample scam URLs:

• 90off-rb[.]com
• dzxrb[.]com

Note: Again, ALWAYS pay close attention to the URLs of websites. The URL for the legitimate Ray-Ban website is ray-ban.com. Don’t get scammed!

How to stay safe when shopping online?

• Always double-check the senders’ mobile numbers/email addresses and websites’ URLs.
• Only shop on legitimate online stores. Enter directly.
• If in doubt, reach out to an online shop’s customer support team directly for help through their official websites or applications.
• Watch out for too-good-to-be-true offers — they’re always a major red flag.

Done with keeping an eye out all the time? Trend Micro Check can help!

Trend Micro Check — our 100% FREE browser extension and mobile app — can protect you against malicious websites, links, and emails on the fly! If you come across a scam website, you’ll be alerted in real time so you’ll know to stay well clear.

So what are you waiting for? Download Trend Micro Check for FREE today!

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.