Costco shopper warning as thieves target them and ‘won’t stop until your account is drained dry’ – what to watch for | 959713O | 2024-05-01 19:08:01
Costco shopper warning as thieves target them and 'won't stop until your account is drained dry' – what to watch for | 959713O | 2024-05-01 19:08:01
SHOPPERS have been warned about a worrying scam that involves a text message impersonating Costco.
The sneaky trick, which could leave your bank details vulnerable, appears as a celebratory message, congratulating customers for being chosen to win a "special reward."
It will then ask the recipient to answer "a few quick questions" with a time limit of a few minutes.
When customers go to click on the link, they are taken to a phishing site which will "often look identical to the legitimate website," scam expert Paul Bischoff told Readers Digest.
"Users are then tricked into giving up passwords, credit card numbers, and other private information," he explained.
The text scam, which can also appear in the form of a survey, is known as 'smishing,' a type of phishing attack that uses social engineering to get personal information about someone through texts.
And experts warn anyone who receives such a message to delete it immediately and report it as spam.
"The text might say you're 'only' responsible for a small shipping-and-handling charge to receive your gift," Monica Eaton, an expert on the financial consequences of scams and data theft, explained to Readers Digest.
"But this is a scam, and you shouldn't give them your financial data! They'll take as much money as they can get away with, and they won't stop until your account is drained dry."
To avoid falling victim to smishing, avoid clicking on links, and don't provide personal or confidential information to suspicious sources.
It's something to keep in mind for other scams too, with Bischoff warning recipients to "Never click on links or attachments in unsolicited messages."
"Always check the site's domain in email addresses and websites, and ensure the correct domain comes after the @ sign in an email and before the first single slash in a URL," he said.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> Eaton, meanwhile, stressed that Costco has no part to play in any of the scams claiming to be them.
Costco "is a victim of these scams too," she said.
To help shoppers, the company has listed all the scams known to have targeted customers.
The 27-strong list, which can be found on the company's website, includes everything from USPS scams to gift card tricks.
Other Costco shoppers have reported falling victim to another listed scam about their store membership.
The fake email convinces customers their membership is about to expire and offers 90 days free by resigning.
But the website it leads to is used to steal personal information.
Shoppers, including Michael Brown, have easily fallen for the scam.
"It looked so real," Brown told NBC affiliate KYTV in Springfield, Missouri.
"When I clicked on it, they wanted all sorts of information. My bank card number, my address, my phone number.
"That's when I said no."
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Costco for comment.
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