Online a new scam is spreading that promises a 1000 euro voucher for Decathlon stores, but it is an excuse to steal our data
With the approach of Christmas, the various online scams related to purchases made on the Net begin to proliferate. In the last few hours hackers have generated a new phishing campaign in which they pretend to promote Decahlon by giving away coupons of the famous chain of clothing and sports equipment.
The scheme used in this case is very common among the various cyber scams: the fake coupon. The victim is contacted on social platforms via sponsored posts announcing the launch of a new Decathlon voucher campaign. The reason for such generosity would lie in the tenth anniversary of the chain's birth, which would like to reward its loyal customers with a very special gift: 50 1000 euro vouchers to buy any product in the various Decathlon stores. After buying the products, users will have to send feedback to the company, which will then improve any shortcomings. To receive the voucher as a gift, however, must first complete a questionnaire, and this is where the scam is triggered.
How to defend yourself from the scam Decathlon
To fill out the questionnaire of the scam we will have to click on the link in the post. Needless to say, if we click on that hyperlink we will be redirected to a website that looks like a Decathlon website due to its logos, colors and interface, but it is actually a fake page created by cyber criminals. Any data entered in this page will be stolen by hackers. In the questionnaire we are asked for various confidential information, such as our home address, an email address, our date of birth and so on. All data useful to hackers to generate illegal actions on the Net using our identity.
To avoid falling into this trap, the tips are simple to remember and implement. First, if we are contacted for a discount or a gift online through social media posts before accepting we go to check the official website of the store or service, to see if they talk about it there too. Alternatively we call the company's official switchboard and ask for an explanation. Secondly, do not click lightly on links attached to emails and posts from sources unknown to us, often hiding malware, malicious pages and other tricks devised by cyber criminals. Finally, if we are redirected to a site where we are asked for personal data check the URL and that this is the official one of the company with which we want to interact and verify that before the URL there is a green padlock (if we surf from Google Chrome) that indicates that the site is protected and will not share our data with anyone.