As reported by the State Police on Facebook, some users are receiving fake coupons bearing the name of Zara and Auchan
Be careful: two new computer scam attempts are threatening WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger users. Once again, the technique used by the evildoers is that of discount coupons, a trivial system already seen in the past, which still manages to reap many victims.
On WhatsApp, as warned also by the State Police on the Facebook profile "Commissariato di PS Online -Italia", some users are receiving a discount coupon from Zara, a well-known clothing company. The amount of the fake coupon is considerable: 150 euros. The deception always follows the same script, which unfortunately is still able to induce many people to fall into the phishing trap orchestrated by the scammers. In the message, received by users on WhatsApp, we read that, on the occasion of the opening of three new stores in Italy, Zara gives a discount voucher. In the text, in an attempt to trigger the scam, the number of coupons "still" available are reported.
Messenger scam
Let's move on to Messenger instead, which like WhatsApp is often targeted by cyber criminals. In this case, the coupon is "offered", so to speak since it is a scam, by Auchan, the famous supermarket chain. The value of the "gift" is even higher than that of Zara: 200 euros. The text is accompanied by the classic link, which if opened directs victims to malicious sites.
The goal of these scams is to push users to reveal their personal data, such as banking data. The popularity of Messenger and WhatsApp increases the cyber fraud attempts circulating on the two instant messaging apps. And a large chunk of users continue, unfortunately, to be affected.
It is very important, therefore, to know how to defend yourself. The most effective way is to ignore the message, deleting it immediately and being especially careful not to click on the link.