Latest News

MO SCAMS! MO SCAMS! MO SCAMS!

Published On February 17, 2022 | By Tom Huskerson | Fraud, Scams, Hoaxes & Hacks, News and Analysis

If it seems like they never stop that’s because they don’t! Understand that scamming people online is a full time job that requires focus, dedication and a ruthless desire to rob somebody using the internet. You don’t know them. You don’t see them and its not like you will ever get caught. Its the perfect job!

Forever Stamps Scam

The USPS has been warning people about this scam since last December and for some reason some people still get caught up. I guess because there is such a thing as  Forever Stamps its easy to get suckered. They came along in 2011 and allowed the buyer to mail a one-ounce letter regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used and no matter how prices may change in the future. Forever Stamps are always sold at the same price as a regular First-Class Mail stamp.

The scam is that many of the Forever Stamps sold on social media are counterfeit. Fake! The USPS issued this warning;

The number of counterfeit stamps being sold from online platforms has escalated. Scammers peddle fake stamps on social media marketplaces, e-commerce sites via third party vendors, and other websites. Counterfeit stamps are often sold in bulk quantities at a significant discount–anywhere from 20 to 50 percent of their face value. That’s a tell-tale sign they’re bogus.”

The most popular Forever stamps being faked have been those bearing the U.S. flag and commemorative stamps including ‘Love Skywriting’ (2017), ‘Hot Wheels’ (2018), Cactus Flowers (2019) and Winter Scenes (2020).”

The same rule applies here as with all scams; if seems too good to be true, it probably is. Popular retailers do sell Forever Stamps that are modestly discounted But rarely in the range of 20%-50%. So the Postal Inspection Services is telling you if you see a deal like that it’s probably a scam.

McDonald’s “You Have Been Selected Scam”

Of course they chose you for an exclusive offer. This McDonald’s  scam says that recipients had “been selected” to receive an “exclusive reward” or “gift.” It eventually led to a survey scam that promised a $100 McDonald’s gift card or gift certificate. Never happens.

The email looks like this;

🔔Y0u.HaaVe.Been.Selected.To..Participate-🔔.

From: [email protected] *McDonalds* via meragaf.shop

mcdonalds

Hello

Congratulations! You have been selected to get an exclusive reward !
Your Name Came Up For a mcdonalds Gift
hurry up ! Your Reward is Ready
Your account information :
Customer::
Email:
Reward: ………….
Claim Reward Now
mcdonalds Team

Unsubscribe Here
616 Corporate Way Ste.2-9092
Valley Cottage, NY 10989

There are some obvious tip to let you  know this not from Mickey D’s. Look at the email address; [email protected].” Now does that look like a McDonald’s email address to you? Nor is “meragaf.shop” associated with the fast-food chain.

Now check out that mailing address, “616 Corporate Way Ste.2-9092, Valley Cottage, NY 10989.” This address has been mentioned by other users online in association with past scams.

This exclusive offer from McDonald’s actually leads to a website that redirected several times, ending up on a Russian survey website named “souldatabase.ru.” Once you land there the page reads:

Dear McDonald’s Customer,
Congratulations!
Complete the short survey about McDonald’s to select your exclusive offer of up to $100.00 cash value.

This special is available until February 14, 2022

TIME REMAINING: 5:53

This email has one of the classic web scams tools and that is the timer and deadline. It urges the user to act quickly to get the prize. Often without thinking. This same scam has used other company names like Lowe’s and UPS.

Just delete it.

CVS “Exclusive Reward with Confirmation Receipt” Scam

Again; February of 2022 saw a big jump in online scams and no retailer is safe from having their name used to rob somebody. This CVS email scam promises the sucker a special “exclusive reward offer” AND  “confirmation receipt” for CVS Pharmacy. Just complete a short survey. Now how can you beat that?

Confirmation Receipt

CVS-Stores [email protected] via meragaf.shop

Special Offer!

Congratulations!

You’ve been selected to receive an EXCLUSIVE OFFER!

Complete this short 30-second survey about your experiences with CVS PHARMACY and recieve your exclusive reward offer for participating.

Start Now

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you may unsubscribe by clicking here or by writing to 6130 W Flamingo Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89103

Now we see again that the email has no relation to CVS. Check it out;

[email protected]

Now does that look like a legitimate email address and meragaf.shop has no affiliation with CVS Pharmacy either.

A lot of these so called survey scams are really just phishing websites that will either ask for personal information to collect the prize or ask you to click on something to download your prize, voucher or certificate. And often you will end up downloading a piece of malware or something vicious like that. Spyware could eventually steal your credit card, passwords and other sensitive information. Just delete it.

Venmo “$1,000 Gift Card” Email Scam

Yet again., something for nothing. Like a $1,000 for doing what? Buying or subscribing to a magazine or service. NOT!

Yet another February 2022 scam goes like this; you get an email that appears to come from Venmo or a third-party company that’s promising a $1,000 Venmo gift card. The message says; “We are pleased to announce you’ve been selected.”

if you get such an email you better believe that it is not a legitimate offer and the message did not come from Venmo. It appeared to have been sent by either a third-party survey company or a scammer posing as the survey company.

The email read as follows: 

🔔 Get a $1000 Venmo Gift Card Today🔔 🔔 🔔

From: [email protected] via pladias.club

Venmo Gift Card

Congratulations! A $1000 Venmo
gift card is waiting for you…
Upon completion of purchase and/or subscription.

We are pleased to announce
you’ve been selected.

Start Right Away

Venmo is not affiliated with, does not sponsor,
or otherwise endorse this promotion.

To unsubscribe, please visit here or write to:

Consumer Digital Survey
P.O. Box 4668 #85919
New York, NY 10163-4668

Just like the last scams the email addresses are all wrong. There is no rheerrgi.org and pladias.club was registered just last month. So it boils down to the this, there is no $1,000 gift card and Venmo did not send it. Delete it.

In the past month these email scams have popped up all over the internet and they use every retailer’s name possible. But its up to you to be on the  look out for these scams. That’s why I keep stressing to check the email and avoid the offer that’s just too good to be true. These scammers rob people for millions of dollars every year and are rarely caught. So its up to you to catch them before they catch you.

Now you know.

 

Like this Article? Share it!

About The Author

Tom Huskerson Bio Born in Richmond Virginia Tom Huskerson is a military veteran who settled in California after his discharge. Tom attended Santa Barbara City College where he began his writing career as a campus reporter. He worked as an intern news reporter for the Santa Barbara News-Press writing feature stories before moving on to San Francisco. At San Francisco State University Tom studied broadcast communications and began to focus on the Internet. He completed his graduate thesis on Internet advertising. Tom was the first student to ever focus on the Internet as a graduate student at San Francisco State University. After graduation he went to work for Zona Research in California’s Silicone Valley. As a research associate Tom supported senior analyst writing on the latest developments in the Internet industry. During the dot com boom Tom worked for several web businesses as a market researcher and analyst. As a writer and researcher Tom has authored various technical works including a training program for Charles Schwab security. Other projects included professional presentations on workplace violence and hiring security contractors. Tom has also written both fiction and non-fiction works and blogging for a travel website. He has published two books of short stories and completed two novels. Tom is the owner of Scribe of Life Literature and EbonyCandle.com. Tom is not the chief editor for the OnTechStreet. com. A news and information blog that focuses on tech news for African-Americans. The blog is the result of his desire to inform the African American community of the dangers and benefits of the cyber age. In his blog Tom reports on information security, new and analysis, scams and hoaxes, legal happenings and various topics that arise from the age of information. Tom believes that technology is a necessary tool for black people and they should know what is happening. Tom writes believing that techno speak is for the professional and that valuable information can be communicated using plain language. As a result he has embraced the motto, Less Tech, More Knowledge.

Comments are closed.