It looked like it was from UPS and it said we were unable to deliver your package. However, if you click on the following link you can look up the tracking information on that package and then you can reroute it back to your place. At that point, I clicked on the link and my screen started flashing, Hoehn said. The message said, You have been hacked. We have encrypted all of your files. Send, I think it was like 150 bitcoins to this address.
A fake shipping link can launch ransomware like it did for Hoehn, or it can redirect to a counterfeit branded page that asks for credit card or personal information to reroute a package, or tricks you into entering your username and password.
The Associated Press
NEW YORK Ben Black bought what he thought was a well-priced drone online. But the drone never showed up, the site stopped responding to his emails and he never got his $100 back.
He was scammed.
“I’m pissed I got caught in it,” says Black, who lives in Westminster, Colorado.
Online shopping scams, like the one Black fell for, are on the rise as thieves take advantage of the surge of people flocking to the internet during the pandemic.
They do it by creating slick-looking websites pretending to sell gadgets, toys, cleaning supplies and anything else in high demand.
5 tips to spot fake shopping sites and avoid being scammed
News 12 Staff
Updated on:Dec 21, 2020, 4:31am EST
Online shopping scams are on the rise as thieves take advantage of the surge of people flocking to the internet during the pandemic and holidays.
They do it by creating slick-looking websites pretending to sell items on high demand. To lure you onto the sites, scammers pay for ads on Facebook, Google and other websites.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission says it received a record number of reports from people losing money to online shopping scams in April and May, mostly from people being tricked into paying for face masks, disinfectant wipes and other pandemic-related supplies that never arrived.