Internet

Fake gift cards: how they work to steal your data

When browsing the Internet we can find many threats that put our computers at risk. There are many types of viruses, rogue programs, attacks that come to us by mail … In most cases, maintaining common sense and avoiding making mistakes can save us. We are going to explain how the fake gift cards and what you must do to avoid problems.

How they use discount checks to attack

This is something that we can receive during any time of the year, but it certainly increases just in these weeks during Christmas. We receive an email indicating that we have a gift card or a discount ticket to use on Amazon or any platform to buy online.

We may also receive this by social networks like Facebook, WhatsApp or just surfing the Internet and click on a link. In most cases they will offer us a discount card for a well-known online store, where it is likely that we plan to buy something soon.

What the attacker is looking for with this is that we click on that link, download that file that is supposedly the gift card or that we share the prize through social networks, a requirement that they sometimes ask to actually receive the gift.

But of course, we are facing a fraud. That file that we download can be malware, ransomware that encrypts files, spyware that is responsible for collecting data, stealing passwords or simply serving as a bridge to attack our contacts.

The same if we enter a link, since it would take us to a web page that may mimic a legitimate platform such as Amazon and steal our data when logging in. We would be facing a Phishing attack that takes advantage of these fake gift cards.

Firmware malware attacks

What to do to avoid attacks with checks or gift cards

So what can we do to avoid being scammed through discount or gift cards? The main thing is to always keep the common sense. That is, we should never download a file without really knowing if it is reliable or not. Neither install software that could be a scam or accept any link that reaches us through social networks or messaging programs, even if it has been sent by a family member or friend, since they could have previously been victims.

We must also always count on security programs. A good antivirus can detect these discount vouchers or gift cards that are actually malware. Using applications such as Windows Defender, Avast or any other option that we like, can help us to build a defensive barrier in our system.

On the other hand, another key point to avoid attacks with discount cards or any fake software is to have the updated systems. It is essential to correct possible vulnerabilities that are in our equipment and, in this way, increase protection. It is something that we must apply at all times, regardless of what operating system or device we are using.

In short, gift cards are very common especially on these dates. It is essential to know how to detect them and avoid falling into the trap, since it could lead to the theft of information and that our systems begin to malfunction.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *