If you are among those who jubilate on getting alleged free
gift cards for data, then you may be in for a supposed ‘greek gift’ as it has
been discovered that fraudsters now use fake gift cards to lure telecom consumers
in Nigeria into handing over personal data, reports ITRealms.
Remember Kaspersky Lab
experts, they have discovered the distribution of an unusual fraudulent scheme
that tricks users into parting with their time and their data, for no return.
By creating fake websites for the free generation of gift cards, cybercriminals
are able to “sell” users’ data to third party partner sites, to which they
redirect victims.
While industry and law enforcement agencies from around the
world are busy fighting against cybercrime, criminals themselves are constantly
looking for new ways of earning money – other than just malware. Offering
something valuable free of charge is always an enticing piece of marketing, and
criminals can take advantage of this. Websites that offer customers the option
of freely generating gift cards for well-known companies - like iTunes, Google
Play, Amazon, or Steam - are nothing new. For example, legitimate apps like
Tokenfire and Swagbucks buy card codes from vendors, to then give them to
clients as a reward for certain activities. Criminals have apparently
recognised the popularity of such websites and have decided to deceive users
using a simple algorithm.
When on the fake site, the user is asked to select the gift
card he/she wants in order to receive the code. After that, the fraudulent
mechanism is set in motion. To get the generated code, however, the user needs
to prove that he/she is not a robot. To do this, the user has to follow the
suggested link and complete various tasks, the number and type of which are
determined by the partner network to which the user is redirected. For example,
he/she may be asked to fill in a form, leave a phone number or email address,
subscribe to a paid SMS-message, install adware, and so on.
The result is predictable: either victims get tired of doing
endless tasks, or they finally get the useless code. The earnings for criminals
range from a few cents per every click on a desired link, to several dozen
dollars for filling in a form or subscribing to paid services. Thus, the
criminals make a profit virtually for nothing, getting paid from the user’s actions
on the websites of third-party partners, who, for their part, also benefit by
getting access to personal data which can be used for private purposes.
“The success of these new fraud schemes is based on
criminals exploiting the drive of users to get something for free. However, at
best they will spend hours of personal time doing worthless tasks, and at worst
- lose money without receiving anything in return. So, if you want to get your
hands on a free gift card, try to earn it on legal and trustworthy sites,”said
Lyubov Nikolenko, web content analyst, Kaspersky Lab.
To avoid falling for cybercriminals’ fraudulent schemes and
losing personal data, Kaspersky Lab researchers suggest that users follow a few
simple rules:
•Remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch and
always treat offers that seem too tempting to be true with skepticism.
•Check the HTTPS connection and domain name when you open a
webpage. This is especially important when you are using websites which contain
sensitive data – such as sites for online banking, online shops, email, social
media sites etc.
•Never share your sensitive data, such as logins and
passwords, bank card data etc., with a third party. Official companies will
never ask for data like this via email.
•Do not spread questionable links among your friends.
•Check with the company if it really is giving out gift
codes, and whether the site is its official partner. To do this, contact the
official support service by reaching out on the official website of the
company.
• Use a reliable security solution with behavior-based
anti-phishing technologies to detect and block spam and phishing attacks, such
as Kaspersky Total Security, which blocks fake gift card sites.
Nenye Dom/GEE
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