We’ve found lots of scams this week, including ones relating to USPS, Walmart, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, and MORE. Would you have been able to spot all these scams? 

Scammers Want More Than Your Money 

Impersonating trusted brands, and under a variety of pretenses, scammers love to spread phishing links via text message 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. track a package delivery, update account information, fill out an online survey, or more. 

USPS “Redelivery” Scam Text 

We’ve reported on fake USPS texts many times before. Pretending to be USPS, scammers prompt you to schedule a “redelivery” of a non-existent package by using their link to update the delivery address. 

The links attached are phishing links that lead to phishing sites designed to record your PII. In this case, you will be taken to a fake USPS tracking page that will look identical to the legitimate one, except that the web address is not usps.com.

If you fall for the scam and submit your information, scammers can commit identity theft or other crimes using your data. 

Say Goodbye to Phishing Scams 

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.      

Walmart Jackpot Scam 

Have you ever received a text from Walmart that says you’ve won a reward? Beware — it’s a scam! We’ve reported on Walmart survey scams many times, and this week we detected a peak in phishing attempts using Walmart’s name: 

You have struck the jackpot! You are Walmart’s current month’s rewards recipient! <URL> 

The attached phishing link will take you to a fake Walmart page where scammers promise you a $500 Walmart gift card as a reward and try to trick you into revealing all your credentials in the end. 

Once again, any data entered will end up in the scammers’ hands. 

Fake Intuit Security Alert (QuickBooks) 

Back in 2022, we wrote about fake security alert emails impersonating QuickBooks, Intuit’s finance tool. Well, this week they’ve started to circulate again. Falsely claiming that your QuickBooks account is on hold, scammers instruct you to verify your identity via the link in the email. 

Take a closer look at the sender’s email address: the legitimate one should end with intuit.com, but the one shown here is missing an “i”. Plus, what’s extra tricky is that although the link seems genuine (www.intuit.com), it will take you to a fake Intuit login page instead. If you hover over the attached link you will realize. Don’t click! 

Online Shopping Scams 

Besides phishing scams, last week we also detected lots of fake online shops running bogus Memorial Day and Father’s Day sales campaigns (76,863 fake sites from May 15 to May 22 in total!).  

#1 – Memorial Day 

• texasbg[.]com

#2 – Father’s Day 

• tiendahat[.]com 

• moderndeal[.]co 

• manualliy[.]com 

Some red flags to watch out for when shopping online: 

• The acceptance of unusual payment methods (wire transfer/mobile payment apps etc.). 
• Unreasonable requests for detailed personal information. 
• Typos and questionable wordings. 
• Lack of genuine reviews/lots of irrelevant reviews. 
• Too-good-to-be-true deals. 

More Safety Tips 

• Shop on well-known, legitimate websites. 
• 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.  

If you’ve found this article an interesting and/or helpful read, please SHARE it with friends and family to help keep the online community secure and protected. Also, please consider leaving a comment or LIKE below.