Kaspersky: Fake Cosmetics Store Bonuses Used to Steal Messenger Accounts
Kaspersky GReAT has found a scam that lures shoppers of cosmetics and perfume chains with 5,000 bonus points, then hijacks their messenger accounts.
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giftdetect· the right gift in minutesResearchers at Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) have uncovered a new scheme in which criminals steal messenger accounts from customers of popular cosmetics and perfume retailers. The bait is 5,000 bonus points, supposedly granted for subscribing to the brand's channel in another messenger.
How the scheme works
To claim the reward, victims are sent to a fake login page and asked to enter their phone number and the code received by SMS. According to the experts, that is enough for the attackers to take over the account.
To make the offer look real, the scammers fill their chats with fabricated customer reviews. Some participants claim they have already spent the bonuses on cosmetics, others say they claimed the reward for themselves and their relatives. The fraudsters also announce giveaways of gift certificates worth 8,000 rubles. Kaspersky GReAT says the mix of a loyalty bonus, reviews and extra prizes is meant to lower users' guard and push them to click the link quickly.
Why sales season raises the risk
The number of such fake promotions grows noticeably ahead of big sales, said Georgy Kucherin, a senior expert at Kaspersky GReAT. Criminals exploit the hype around discounts and shoppers' wish to save money.
He named two warning signs. The first is a link that does not match the brand's official domain. The second is a chat where participants cannot write messages, a restriction that prevents people from warning others about the fraud.
For shoppers, the practical advice is simple: never enter an SMS code on a page reached through a chat promotion, and check the address against the retailer's official website before typing any data.
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