The State Police has discovered a new scam that is circulating online, the malicious people contact victims with a fake 200 euro discount voucher
A new threat is putting the computer security of Italian users at risk. As the Polizia di Stato, through its official Facebook page "Commissariato di PS Online - Italia" points out, fake Mediaworld vouchers are circulating on social media and messaging apps.
Cyber criminals are using a new scam to make Italian users download malware or steal their most confidential information. Victims are contacted via social networks, WhatsApp or email. The scammers promise a 200 euro discount voucher that can be spent on Mediaworld products. All the user has to do is click on the link in the fraudulent message to get the discount code. The excuse used by cyber criminals is the anniversary of the famous electronics chain. Obviously, people who click on the link do not get any vouchers and prizes. They will simply be redirected to a malicious site where they can download a virus or enter their personal data, which will then be used by a hacker for his own illegal operations.
How to protect yourself against this kind of scams
Scams related to discount vouchers and indispensable offers on the Internet are very common. The pattern is always the same: the victim is contacted on WhatsApp, social networks or via email and is encouraged through social engineering techniques to click on a link or download an attachment. Everyone loves to buy something on sale or receive gifts, as in real life, but we must remember that even online things that seem too good to be true most likely are not.
To recognize these scams then how should we behave? First of all we have to be always doubtful when we are contacted to propose us winnings, discount vouchers or offers that seem really unmissable: the risk of fraud in these cases is always around the corner.To underline, then, that the web address from which to download the voucher scam belongs only apparently to the consumer electronics chain: a closer look reveals that it is a third-level domain made ad hoc.
Secondly, remember never to click on links and never download attachments of dubious origin. Let's never put our data lightly on sites and applications that we don't know and let's not exchange them via chat with people we have just met. It should also be remembered that if we want to stay up to date on offers and coupons on a particular company is better to consult the website of the same that trust an anonymous message received via WhatsApp or email.
Finally in case we were to be contacted for winnings of money or electronic items never send our money to pay shipping costs. This is also a very used technique but it will only lead us to lose our money because no winnings will arrive at our doorstep.