Walmart Voucher Scam

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Walmart Voucher Scam

The message asks you to follow a link and supply your personal information so that the vouchers can be mailed out. Strangely, the message signs off as being from 'Tesco Personal Finance'.

However, the email is not from Wal-Mart (or Tesco) and the promised vouchers do not exist. If you click the link to claim the promised vouchers you will be taken to a fake web form that asks for your name and address details, social security number, phone number and email address. After supplying this information and pressing the 'Submit' button, you will be informed that the update process is complete and that the vouchers will be mailed to you in the next few days.

But, the vouchers will never come, and the criminals have already started accumulating personal information that may subsequently be used to commit identity theft and financial fraud.

The scammers now know a very valuable fact about the people who replied because they know they are vulnerable to falling for these types of scams and so may be directly targeted in further scams. They may receive 'follow up' emails that ask for more personal details and financial information such as credit card numbers.

Because the scammers now have the names and other personal data belonging to their victims, they can carry out personalized and specifically targeted phishing attacks that may appear quite legitimate.

The promise of unclaimed vouchers is a common scam so be wary of any message that suggests that you can claim unexpected vouchers or gift cards by clicking a link or opening an attached file and supplying personal information.

If you believe you have been a victim of this type of scam you should promptly report it to the IC3's website at www.IC3.gov. The IC3's complaint database links complaints together to refer them to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration.

Remember - always watch for scams!

Steve