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We’ve found a large number of scams and phishing attempts this week, including ones relating to Binance Holdings PayPal invoice, UPS, iCloud, Costco, Walmart, and Kohl’s. Would you have been able to spot all these scams?
Not all email invoices from PayPal are legitimate! We’ve reported on PayPal-based invoice scams several times before, and this week the most impersonated brand is Binance:
Binance Holdings PayPal Invoice Scam (1). Source: Online Threat Alerts
Although the sender’s email address seems genuine (service@paypal.com), you should still be careful, as these invoices are sent by scammers. They send out bogus invoices via PayPal to try to prompt you to call the included phone number by alarming you with the (fake) charge.
Binance Holdings PayPal Invoice Scam (2). Source: Reddit
If you fall for it, scammers will try their best to trick you into sharing your personal and/or financial information over the phone — which they can use to commit any number of other crimes (using YOUR IDENTITY)!
Scammers will most often get email addresses from underground internet forums or the dark web — two places that are hotbeds for stolen/leaked data.
With our new (and FREE!) ID Protection tool, you can:
Besides PayPal invoice scams, scammers have a lot of other tactics they use to try to get you to fall for phishing scams.
Impersonating trusted brands, and under a variety of pretenses, scammers will send you 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 phishing links to complete various tasks or to take action (e.g. verify an account, update billing information, or check a delivery’s status).
The phishing links lead to scam/phishing sites designed to record any PII you submit. Not surprisingly, scammers will then use your stolen information to commit identity theft or other crimes. Below are some examples.
A reoccurring pretense that scammers use is fake package delivery. They send you fake delivery notifications and ask you to check the status via the attached phishing link:
[Information] Your parcel number 3687888692 We tried to deliver your parcel today but you weren’t in or there was no safe place to leave it. Your action is required. If this item is unclaimed by the date, then it will be returned to sender. Please reschedule delivery > <URL> The first and second delivery attempt was free of charge. To schedule a new delivery, a shipping fee must be paid. Best Regards, UPS
The phishing link will take you to a fake UPS package tracking page that instructs you to “reschedule delivery” by filling out detailed personal information:
UPS Shipping Scam
You could end up exposing your credit card information and other PII, and these credentials will all end up in scammers’ hands. Don’t let that happen!
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Scammers also use free iCloud storage updates to try to lure you into clicking on their phishing links:
iCloud Phishing Scam (1)
The scam email will take you to a fake iCloud page
iCloud Phishing Scam (2)
Phishing links also often lead to fake online survey pages that falsely guarantee you free gifts for completing questionnaires:
Have you been sent a text message about taking a Costco online survey for cash? It’s very likely a scam! Here’s one example of such a message:
The phishing link leads to fake Costco survey pages that, once again, can collect all your personal information:
Costco Survey Scam (1)
The fake pages will even ask you to provide credit card details for “the delivery of your gift” (of course, there is no gift). Be careful!
Costco Survey Scam (2)
Other online survey scams are sent via email, and similarly, they will direct you to a phishing page where you could have your PII compromised. See below for two examples.
Kohl’s Phishing Scam
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This article was published in collaboration with Trend Micro.
Image source: unsplassh.com
