In the last few days some Iliad users have received an SMS inviting them to make a top-up to receive €50 free: it's a scam
"If you top-up directly online ILIAD gives you €50 free top-up. To recharge click here: (link to page). Promotion valid 48 hours". If in the last few days you have received this SMS on your Iliad number you should know that it is a scam. The phone operator has no responsibility, it is a scam carried out by specialists in the field who try to exploit the name of the company to make a profit.
It is certainly not the first time that scammers send users messages of this type. Last week we warned you about another scam that had targeted Iliad users as well. In that case, however, it was fake call centers offering Iliad subscriptions to people without any authorization. In this case, however, the scammers' target is user data. In the message there is a link: clicking it opens a fake page of the Iliad website where you can enter your personal data. Once the operation is completed, you don't receive any free recharge, but you lose money and you give your personal data to the scammers. Here's what to do to defend yourself.
Iliad, the €50 free top-up scam: how it works
The tactic used by the crooks is certainly not new, but it always manages to be very successful, especially among older and less experienced people. Here's how it works.
The scammers send a message to the person's Iliad number inviting them to top up online to receive a free €50. Already here the person should get suspicious, hardly an operator gives away such a large sum for making a simple online recharge. The other element that should make the user suspicious is the presence of a link in the message that opens a page to make the recharge. Although the page really looks like the one on Iliad's website, there are a few details that make it clear that this is a scam. The logo is slightly different, while the URL is not that of Iliad's site. We are facing a classic case of phishing, a very common practice to deceive people.
If you fall into the trap and decide to recharge via the link in the message, not only will you lose your money, but you will be giving the scammers your bank account details, all information that can be resold in the dark web. In addition to the damage of losing money, there is also the mockery of putting your online bank account at risk.
How to defend yourself from the scam
You just need a little attention to be able to defend yourself from the Iliad fake free top-up scam. First of all, the phone operator does not send its customers this kind of messages: in case you are contacted directly in the customer area. In addition, you should never trust this type of promotions: when you receive an SMS, the only thing to do is to delete the message.