This article is from Trend Micro.
Have you recently received a suspicious email that appears to have come from Geek Squad? Does it say that you’ve placed an order for a one-year subscription for Geek Squad or that your annual membership has been renewed? Whatever it says, there’s a very high chance that it’s a scam! Read on to learn more!
For the last several weeks we’ve been noticing a massive increase in the number of Geek Squad email scams circulating. What’s happening is that scammers are impersonating Geek Squad and sending out all kinds of bogus emails, hoping to trick people into parting with money and personal information.
The vast majority of them claim that the victim has renewed their annual Geek Squad subscription — for hundreds of dollars. Below are some examples.
Renewed subscription scam. Source
Geek Squad subscription purchase scam. Source
Another renewed subscription scam. Source
As you can see, the designs and layouts of all these scams are completely different, and there are lots and lots of others too — far too many to include in this post.
The scammers’ instructions also differ greatly. Some ask the victims to phone a bogus number (presumably with a scammer waiting on the other end of the line), some ask them to visit a malicious link that will prompt them for personal and financial information, and some ask them to reply to the original email.
Regardless, whatever the scammers ask you to do, don’t do it! They only have bad intentions in mind. If they manage to get a hold of your personal information, they can use it to commit various cybercrimes, including identity theft. If they trick you into sharing your financial information, they can use it to access your bank account and steal your money.
Naturally, with there being so many variations of this scam floating around, if you receive one of them, it may not be immediately obvious that it’s a scam. However, with that said, below are some excellent tips for identifying scams such as these and for protecting yourself.
After you’ve pinned the Trend Micro Check extension, it will block dangerous sites automatically! (Available on Safari, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge).
You can also download the Trend Micro Check mobile app for 24/7 automatic scam and spam detection and filtering. (Available for Android and iOS).
Check out this page for more information on Trend Micro Check.
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. Also, please consider clicking the LIKE button below.
Source: pexels.com
Have you fallen for a hoax, bought a fake product? Report the site and warn others!
As the influence of the internet rises, so does the prevalence of online scams. There are fraudsters making all kinds of claims to trap victims online - from fake investment opportunities to online stores - and the internet allows them to operate from any part of the world with anonymity. The ability to spot online scams is an important skill to have as the virtual world is increasingly becoming a part of every facet of our lives. The below tips will help you identify the signs which can indicate that a website could be a scam. Common Sense: Too Good To Be True When looking for goods online, a great deal can be very enticing. A Gucci bag or a new iPhone for half the price? Who wouldn’t want to grab such a deal? Scammers know this too and try to take advantage of the fact. If an online deal looks too good to be true, think twice and double-check things. The easiest way to do this is to simply check out the same product at competing websites (that you trust). If the difference in prices is huge, it might be better to double-check the rest of the website. Check Out the Social Media Links Social media is a core part of ecommerce businesses these days and consumers often expect online shops to have a social media presence. Scammers know this and often insert logos of social media sites on their websites. Scratching beneath the surface often reveals this fu
So the worst has come to pass - you realise you parted with your money too fast, and the site you used was a scam - what now? Well first of all, don’t despair!! If you think you have been scammed, the first port of call when having an issue is to simply ask for a refund. This is the first and easiest step to determine whether you are dealing with a genuine company or scammers. Sadly, getting your money back from a scammer is not as simple as just asking. If you are indeed dealing with scammers, the procedure (and chance) of getting your money back varies depending on the payment method you used. PayPal Debit card/Credit card Bank transfer Wire transfer Google Pay Bitcoin PayPal If you used PayPal, you have a strong chance of getting your money back if you were scammed. On their website, you can file a dispute within 180 calendar days of your purchase. Conditions to file a dispute: The simplest situation is that you ordered from an online store and it has not arrived. In this case this is what PayPal states: "If your order never shows up and the seller can't provide proof of shipment or delivery, you'll get a full refund. It's that simple." The scammer has sent you a completely different item. For example, you ordered a PlayStation 4, but instead received only a Playstation controller. The condition of the item was misrepresented on the product page. This could be the