Online scams proliferate every day on social networks. In recent weeks, a new hoax has been detected targeting Instagram users from countries such as Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Poland and Australia. The scammers pose as the fashion company Shein and scam users by assuring them that they have received a gift card at the aforementioned store.
The ruse starts with an unknown account that writes a comment on a victim’s post congratulating her for having won a gift card to use at Shein with a value of 500 euros.
To get this alleged prize, the victims are guided to a website, which is different in each country, where they must enter their personal data, including their credit card.
And this is where the scam occurs: In the terms and conditions section of the web, and in a small print that is practically illegible, the cybercriminals assure the victims that, in order to redeem the voucher, they must make a first payment of 2 euros, in addition to having to pay a “membership fee” of 33 euros every 14 days.
Obviously, the first payments are executed immediately, while the promised gift card never arrives. Threat researchers from antivirus company Avast have already reported the fake account to Instagram and reported the scam to Shein.
In addition, experts advise users of social networks to always doubt the supposed “prizes” they have won and stay away from websites that include dubious questionnaires that ask for information such as credit card information.
Finally, Avast also recommends always checking if the account you’re interacting with is a genuine account or a fake account, which often look similar but have slight differences, such as the verification ‘tick’.
