We’ve found lots of scams this week, including ones relating to UPS, Costco, Amazon, and more. Would you have been able to spot all these scams?   

Phishing Scams 

Posing as trusted brands, and under a variety of pretenses, scammers love to spread phishing links via text messages or email — always with the goal of stealing your personally identifiable information (PII) (i.e. email address, Social Security number, credit card number, and more). They will prompt you to click on attached phishing links to complete various tasks, e.g. verify an account, update billing information, or more. 
 
These phishing links lead to scam/phishing sites designed to record all your PII. With your stolen information, scammers can commit identity theft or other crimes. One of the most common phishing tactics is to impersonate delivery companies such as USPS and UPS and send out fake delivery notification texts: 

UPS Shipment Scam 

Falsely claiming that you have a package on hold and that you need to reschedule the delivery and pay an extra “duty fee,” scammers prompt you to click on the attached link. We detected this fake UPS text message 3,481 times last week. Did you receive it? 

Your shipment could not be delivered, due to an unpaid duty fee. To reschedule a delivery date, continue now: <URL> Regards, UPS Depot 

The attached link will take you to a fake UPS package tracking page where you could end up exposing your UPS login credentials and even credit card details. As mentioned, scammers will use the stolen data for their own good. Don’t let them! 

Stay Away from Phishing Scams with Trend Micro Check  

The top safety tip to avoid phishing scams is NEVER to click on any unknown links. Or, you can use our 100% FREE tool Trend Micro Check to help fight scams with ease! 
 
Trend Micro Check is a free browser extension and mobile app for detecting scams, phishing attacks, malware, and dangerous links. Download today and surf the web with confidence!  

Check out this page for more information on Trend Micro Check.     

Costco Survey Scam 

Costco was also recently impersonated by phishing scammers. This week, scammers have been inviting people to join their online survey to win a reward: 

Costco WH: We want to thank you for being a loyal shopper! Please answer our 2 min poll to help us better help you going forward: <URL> 

If you were to take the bait, you will be led to a fake Costco survey page stating that you can claim a gift: 

If you proceed further on this page, it will eventually ask you to provide detailed personal information like your credit card credentials. Of course, there is no gift, and your data will end up in scammers’ hands. Watch out! 

Fake Amazon Security Alerts 

As we’ve reported many times before, scammers also love to send fake security alerts to exploit people. This week they posed as Amazon: 

<Action required> Your Amazon account has been accessed from another device , Click to verify : <URL> 

If you were to be sent into a panic about the security of your account and clicked on the attached link, you will be taken to a fake Amazon login page. Yes, again, this page is designed to record all your credentials. Don’t fall for it! 

Fake HR Emails 

If you’ve been looking for a job recently, please be on the lookout for fake emails from human resources departments. Last week we detected scammers posing as HR staff and sending fake email announcements prompting would-be victims to click on the attached links: 

When clicked on, the links will take you to a fake email login page. As we’ve stressed many times, pages such as this are phishing pages and you could end up exposing your personal data. Be careful! 

Fake Password Expired Email Notifications 

We’ve also detected many bogus “password expired” emails that claim you need to change your password using the scam link: 

Again, the link leads to a fake login page. Don’t submit any credentials here!  

Tips to Stay Safe from Scams       

• Double-check the sender’s mobile number/email address. Even if it seems legitimate, think twice before you take any action.   
• Free gifts are a red flag.   
• Only use official websites/applications. Never click on dubious links! (Use Trend Micro Check)    
• Get alerted with Trend Micro ID Protection if any of your PII gets leaked.    
• Finally, 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 will help you combat scams and cyberattacks. 

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