A false promotion of the O Boticário store for Valentine’s Day 2020 has been circulating through WhatsApp and making victims in Brazil. According to data released on Wednesday (10) by dfndr lab, a laboratory specializing in digital security at PSafe, the scam promises perfumes from the gift brand and has been detected more than 39 thousand times in just one week. The company has already found around ten malicious links that try to impersonate the official website of the store and foresees an increase in the number of victims in the coming days due to the proximity to the date, which happens next Friday (12).
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The approach used by scammers is «Register and win», in which the interested parties make their personal data available believing that they will receive some product from the O Boticário store as a gift. In addition, the alleged promotion encourages the sharing of the malicious link with five more WhatsApp contacts. In this way, the victim still helps to spread the blow through the messenger.
Fake link goes by O Boticário and circulates on WhatsApp promising perfumes – Photo: Emanuel Reis / dnetc
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The gifts promised by the alleged promotion are two perfumes, one male and one female. With Valentine’s Day 2020 approaching, many people end up deluded by the promise that they can win a kit from the O Boticário store. To make the coup more real, criminals make use of false statements from people who would have received the gifts. «To give the coup even more credibility, they forged comments from people who would have received the award and added a mechanism capable of naming the victim’s name», warns Emilio Simoni, director of the dfndr lab.
Fake text message that passes by O Boticário is shared on WhatsApp – Photo: Reproduction / dfndr lab
This type of scam, which is common to circulate on WhatsApp, offers the victim the risk of having their personal data leaked and the possibility of being exposed to new fraud. The information used to complete the alleged registration can be sold to third parties or used criminally in the subscription of paid services. In addition, if the person allows notifications to be sent, the criminal may send other false promotions directly to them in the future.
Valentine’s Day scam circulates on WhatsApp promising gifts from the O Boticário store – Photo: Reproduction / dfndr lab
How to protect yourself from scams on WhatsApp
First of all, it is important to use security solutions on your phone that offer automatic phishing detection in messaging apps and social networks. Also, be wary of the links you receive on WhatsApp promising gifts, sweepstakes and promotions. Always check the information on the official websites of the companies in question.
Another interesting solution to avoid checking links coming through the messenger is the Link Analyzer feature, from the dfndr lab itself. Just access the address (www.psafe.com/dfndr-lab/pt-br) to check if the site offers any threats. Finally, avoid sharing your personal data on sites you don’t know.
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