Cyber criminals use fake Shein gift cards to trick victims into providing their banking details online.
A new scam has taken Instagram by storm this month, with people around the world targeting the money-stealing ploy.
Virus detector Avast claims that the con generally begins with a simple comment, congratulating users on winning a gift card from a fashion retailer.
To claim this, victims are encouraged to click the link on a scammer’s page, where they may be pressed for time to answer a short survey.
In one example, users only had two minutes to answer questions like “Are you okay with the prices of the products on SHEIN?” and ‘How would you like to use the SHEIN gift card?’.
Criminals are now using fake Shein gift cards to trick victims into providing bank details
Virus detector Avast claims that scams often start with a simple congratulatory comment
INSTAGRAM FRAUD: WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Source: Instagram
Regardless of your answers, the assumption is that the victims will always make it to the next level, where they will be presented with a screen full of wrapped gifts.
The website then offers users three ways to click an award-winning box.
Avast claims that the first one will always be empty, which makes the whole storyline even more realistic.
It is understood that the Shein Reward is always awarded after the second click on the box, with the scam site claiming prizes range from £25 to £2,000.
But the scammers often claim that they need an address and postage payment to send that gift card within a few days.
This is the point where users are asked to provide their personal information such as name, phone number, email address and bank details.
As a result, Avast claims that victims are unknowingly signing up for a subscription fee rather than a single postage payment.
In many countries the amount charged is not disclosed, but for France it is €2, followed by €33 every two weeks – equivalent to £1.80 and £29.
Amid the scam, social media has been flooded with comments as some users claim they are bombarded with gift card offers every day.
One person tweeted: “Anyone else think Instagram is becoming completely useless?
“I’ve been caught in multiple SHEIN gift card scams every day for the past few weeks. It’s getting pretty unbearable.”
Another added: “I won about 14,000 Shein gift cards on Instagram this morning and the spam accounts tag you in every one of them.”
Users may be pressed for time to answer a short survey before the “gift certificate” is finally handed over. The site then gives users three ways to click an award-winning box. Avast claims that the first one will always be empty, making the whole storyline more realistic
Others have joked about the influx of gift card offers, with one user tweeting, “Why won’t my landlord let me pay my rent with SHEIN gift cards I won on Instagram?”.
Another added, “If I had a pound for every Shein gift card I ‘won’ I would have enough to buy a Shein gift card.”
The “annoying” Shein scam has even prompted some Instagram users to consider abandoning the platform.
One person asked, “What on earth is a Shein gift card? Has anyone else thought about leaving Instagram because of the annoying spam?’
Another said it was “more than a joke,” tweeting, “@instagram sort out those fake @SHEIN_Official gift card tags, it’s more than a joke, tagged in a new post every hour.”
The gift card scam is not the first to target Shein shoppers, other schemes also lure victims with gifts.
Last year, Shein said: “We are aware of a scam that claims to provide a credit card number for free SHEIN items. This is fake and is NOT endorsed by our company in ANY WAY. Please be careful when getting involved online!’
A few months later, they tweeted again: “We have been made aware of recent email scams falsely claiming to be from our company and can confirm that these are not official SHEIN communications. Please do not hesitate to confirm with us anytime via our customer service channels regarding official SHEIN offer emails…’
Web has reached out to Shein for comment.
It is understood that the Shein Reward is always awarded after the second click on the box, with the scam site claiming prizes range from £25 to £2,000. Once payment details are entered, victims unknowingly sign up for a subscription rather than a single postage payment
Amid the scam, social media has been flooded with comments about the Shein gift cards
To protect themselves from scams, Instagram recommends users to pay attention to a few key characters.
Red flags often include someone asking for money, offering to send money, gift cards, or anything else.
Unverified accounts that appear to represent big brands or public figures are also considered untrustworthy, as is anyone charging a fee to apply for a job.
Any fraudulent requests can also be written with poor spelling and grammar, possibly from an account new to the platform.
Reporting suspected bot accounts is also a good way to take action against social media scams, with some users already doing this in relation to Shein.
Shein has admitted that criminals pose as retailers to scam people
“Bots, spam, or whatever scam these criminals come up with. I always report them. An international task force should be set up because I suspect it’s run by the drug cartels,” said one Twitter user.
Another added: “Basically just go on Instagram these days to block and report all Shein spam I get tagged in every day without exception.”
Instagram said: “If you see something that you think is a scam, you should avoid replying and reporting the scam to Instagram.
“Remember, unless you’re reporting an intellectual property infringement, your report is anonymous. The account you reported will not see who reported it.’
Avast added: “When you receive information from an Instagram (or other social network) account, look for signs that the account is original and authentic.
“There are many copycat and fraudulent accounts out there, but if you look closely you can almost always see signs that they are legit.”
Web has reached out to Instagram for comment.
Instagram launches crackdown on fake accounts with a new feature that gives users more information
Instagram has launched a crackdown on fake accounts, introducing a new feature that shows users information about who’s really behind a username.
The photo-sharing app’s more than 1 billion users can now rate the authenticity of accounts, weeks after parent company Facebook introduced similar measures to weed out fake accounts on its social media platform.
The About This Account feature allows users to see the advertising an account is running, the country the account is located in, username changes over the past year, and other details.
To learn more about an account, go to its profile, tap the menu… then select About This Account.
There you will see the date the account joined Instagram, the country the account is in, accounts with common followers, any username changes in the last year, and any ads the account is currently running.
Instagram also plans to significantly increase the number of verified accounts for socialites, celebrities, and global brands.
Along with the account username, applicants must provide full real names and a copy of government or business ID.
Instagram also said it will allow the use of third-party apps like DUO Mobile and Google Authenticator for two-factor authentication to help users securely log into their accounts.