This week we’ve found a large number of scams that you need to watch out for, including ones relating to Louis Vuitton, Ray-Ban, CVS Pharmacy, Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens, Home Depot, and Netflix. Would you have been able to spot all the scams?

Fake Louis Vuitton / Ray-Ban Online Shops Spreading via Email

Summer is definitely a season of shopping — Amazon Prime Day, mid-year summer sales, …and so on. As we’ve reported several times, scammers are spreading links to fake shopping sites via email. Prompting you with too-good-to-be-true deals, they try to trick you into clicking on the attached links:

Ray-Ban

“Ray-Ban Sunglasses Up To 90% Off!” That’s NOT real.

Louis Vuitton

“Louis Vuitton Bags Up To 90% Off!” Come on, you know that’s impossible!

A sample URL of a fake Louis Vuitton online shop:

• 85off-bags[.]com/

Sample URLs of fake Ray-Ban online shops:

• 90off-sunglasses[.]com
• 90off-rb[.]com

These links will take you to fake online shops. Don’t purchase anything! Your goods will never arrive, and scammers will record your credit card details. Plus, there is obviously no way to get your money back!

Note: ALWAYS pay close attention to the URLs of websites!

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Besides fake online shops, scammers are also fond of phishing websites. 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, these links will take you 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.

Gift Card Phishing Texts

#1 — CVS Pharmacy Weekend Winner

Recently we’ve spotted a wave of fake text messages from CVS Pharmacy that feature a fake weekend winner lucky draw. Promising you a $500 gift card, scammers try to lure you into clicking on the attached phishing link that leads to an online survey page:

• CVS WEEKENDWlNNER   available credit:  $500.  Start Shopping TODAY  https::<URL>

Below is a sample scam online survey page. You will be asked to complete the survey to get the gift card:

In the end, you will be asked to enter credit card details — allegedly necessary for the delivery of your “gift”:

Of course, there is NO gift — the scammers’ ultimate goal is to steal your personal information! They’ll record everything you enter on these fake pages and use it to commit cybercrimes: e.g., hack into your bank account, withdraw money, or steal your identity. Don’t let them!

#2 — Walmart

We’ve seen a lot of fake Walmart text messages before. Did you receive any of them?

• Your lPHONE-13 is ON THE WAY   Confirm delivery  https::<URL>

Again, the links inside the messages will take you to fake Walmart online survey pages that say you can get a gift as a reward after completing one of the questionnaires (and you know it’s fake)!

#3 — Walgreens

This is not the first time we’re writing about Walgreens phishing scams, but this time they’ve taken a new form, with the scammers celebrating Independence Day:

• happy independence day from w a i g r e e n s!! here’s 5oo bucks has to be c i a i m e d by fri, 7/o8: {URL}
• ceiebrate independence day from w a i g r e e n s! here is $5oo has to be c i a i m e d by friday 7/o8 {URL}

The phishing links will take you to this Walgreens phishing page:

Eventually, you’ll have to provide your credit card number, its expiration date, and even the CVC code before you can get your pretend gift delivered. Don’t get scammed!

Online Survey Phishing Emails

As mentioned, phishing scams also take place through emails. The tactics are basically the same: scammers try hard to get you to click on the embedded phishing links:

#1 — Home Depot

“Take part in the online depot survey!” Scammers falsely promise you a brand new Makita power drill, but you already know that this is nothing but a SCAM!

#2 — Walmart

“Celebrating Walmart anniversary”? Don’t fall for it!

#3 — Netflix

We’ve been reporting on similar fake Netflix emails for weeks, and we’re still detecting massive amounts of them.

#4 — Amazon

We are way too familiar with Amazon scams. This time we spotted fake offers of Amazon gift cards:

The buttons in the emails above will lead you to phishing surveys, and you could end up exposing your personal credentials. Be careful and don’t submit any sensitive information on suspicious websites!

Phishing links also often lead 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. Watch out!

How to Protect Yourself

• Double-check the sender’s mobile number/email address.
• Free gifts and prizes are always a major red flag.
• 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 ScamCheck to surf the web safely (it’s free!).
• Add an extra layer of protection to your devices 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.