As excited as you may be this Father’s Day, remember to stay clear of Father’s Day scams. The scammers are waiting for an opportunity to strike, so make sure you are protected with relevant resources and materials to stay safe from these malicious scams. They will target you through phishing scams, fake ecards, free gift opportunities, and so much more – only to steal from you in return.
Father’s Day is right around the corner and it is quite an exciting day, however in the hustle and bustle of making sure that we get the perfect gift for our dad, we often forget to watch out for signs of fraudulent activity or a scam! Scammers take advantage of this and try to scam innocent victims on Father’s Day through offers of free gifts, fake gift cards, phishing emails, as well as other bait!
We have noticed certain scam patterns which always come around this time of the year which scammers make use of. They tend to alter their day-to-day scam strategies to fit the “Father’s Day” theme and then trick us. But guess what?! This year you will be one step ahead of them because we have a list of malicious scams you must watch out for this Father’s Day!
Free Malware ECards
Following COVID-19, individuals have become heavily reliant on making use of e-cards (electronic/digital cards) as opposed to the traditional paper card. Around 78% of the population has switched to making use of e-cards during holidays and events such as Father’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and other occasions. Now suppose you have forgotten to buy your father a gift this Father’s Day, it will be highly convenient for you to send him an E-card instead, this is something scammers will exploit!
They will advertise fancy, colorful, and sentimental Father’s Day ecards for FREE, and encourage you to download malware through card links, unknowingly! The malware could come in various formats such as a harmful keystroke logging bug or software which works with the aim of collecting passwords that you have added to your device. They will then collect these passwords to hack into your devices, accounts, or worse – for identity theft. These scammers could even make use of malware ecards to corrupt your data by adding ransomware which could encrypt your device.
So remember, no matter how appealing the e-card may be, or how much your father may love it – do not open ecard links or download them unless it specifically identifies who has sent it or forwarded it to you. If you do know who the sender is, then ensure that the anti-virus software on your device is running before you download the card, in case it is a scam.
If you’ve been tricked into making dangerous purchases you can contact us to help you
Father’s Day Gift Card Scams
Data from 2021 tells us that the gift card industry is booming with a revenue of $175 million in gift cards, only in the US. Where there is demand, there are scams. Scammers have caught up to the fact that individuals want to save time and increase options for the gift receiver, by spending money on gift cards as opposed to actually buying a specific gift for their father.
Seeing that, they are now exploiting the situation by creating fake gift cards and branding them as authentic sources such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, and others. What innocent children believe is a gift card worth $100 for whatever their father wants to buy on Amazon, is actually just a fake card PDF that is unusable.
The typical electronic gift card scam follows a certain strategy so be on the lookout for the following indications,
- You have received an email from an acquaintance or stranger who is advertising various gift cards with exceptional purchase options at low prices.
- Sometimes scammers will one-up you by making you purchase a real gift card and send them images of the back, eventually spending all the money on the gift card leaving your father with nothing!
- Scammers will often create fake gift cards for expensive stores such as Nordstrom, BHS, Marks & Spencers, as well as others that look cheap in quality
Lost money to online fraud? We will recover your funds !
Data Theft Through Free Presents & Gifts
Have you noticed how most websites require you to create an account or sign up to their platform before you can actually make a purchase or claim a discount on their webstore? The reason for this is because reliable websites want to save your time, so that all your details are integrated with the account you sign up with, making shopping and checking out your cart much faster.
However, as convenient as this is, scammers are now creating website dupes to steal your data and information from you. What they do is that they replicate a reliable and popular website and advertise fascinating offers on it such as “Buy One Get One Free” or “Free Gifts for Father’s Day” to grab your attention.
Then once you want to claim the offer they are using as bait, the scammers will ask you for your name, contact details, address, credit card details, and other personal information. Once you enter this information they will then have access to your details which they can use for numerous reasons.
They can hack into your bank accounts, social media accounts, investment accounts, and so much worse. Recent reports have shown that 83% of data theft cases are a result of your personal information getting into the wrong hands! To ensure that you are safe from this, never fall into the trap of opportunities that seem too good to be true. If you do not have the funds to spend on a gift, opt for other gift options for your father this Father’s Day, such as a handmade card or a meaningful letter.
Shop Wisely This Father’s Day!
As excited as you may be this Father’s Day, remember to stay clear of Father’s Day scams. The scammers are waiting for an opportunity to strike, so make sure you are protected with relevant resources and materials to stay safe from these malicious scams. They will target you through phishing scams, fake ecards, free gift opportunities, and so much more – only to steal from you in return.
In case something like this does occur, do not panic! If you do get trapped in a Father’s Day scam, report your scam to one of our well-experienced Global Payback consultants, and we will do everything in our power to get your stolen funds back from the scammer!
Sources
- https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2009/06/teach-your-dad-about-phishing-fathers-day
- https://www.onlinethreatalerts.com/article/2018/6/17/how-to-avoid-online-fathers-day-scams-created-by-scammers/
- https://www.dailyadvent.com/news/f20626ed2511a759d82db054b2e8ea41-Tips-not-to-fall-for-online-scams-for-Fathers-Day
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