MySpace Scam Offers Free Macy's Gift Card
If you spend any time on the social-networking-site-cum-Internet portal MySpace, then you've definitely seen the scam. It's an offer for a $500 gift card to Macy's. Sometimes it takes the form of a private message, and other times it's a comment on your page. The link can be text or an image, often a picture of a half-naked woman.
Clicking on the link takes the user to a phony MySpace page, where he or she is asked to enter personal information to claim the gift. The information is forwarded to a fraudster, who uses it in credit card fraud and identity theft schemes.
In addition to destroying a person's credit, the scam also grants access to the victim's MySpace account. From here the cycle continues as a new pool of friends is available to send the misleading message to.
It's a classic 'phishing' scam and many MySpace members have already been victims, according the the Daily Mail.
Macy's and news outlets are just now taking note of the scam, despite it having circulated for almost a year. Macy's has posted a message on its Web site warning users to be wary of offers for free gift cards, and that it would never ask for personal information.
From Daily Mail
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
JonBoy @ Nov 12th 2007 5:12PM
How is this new news? If you spend 5 mins on myspace you will see this everywhere.
Bored? Read www.curiousread.com
JonBoy @ Nov 12th 2007 5:13PM
How is this new news? If you spend 5 mins on myspace you will see this everywhere.
Bored? Read http://curiousread.com
Brittany Smith @ Nov 12th 2007 5:43PM
That's not the only phishing scam on MySpace, I got a fake youtube clip on my comments, and when you click on it, you are also redirected to the same fake login page where you enter your info and someone steals it. My anti-virus software is really good, thankfully, and caught that it was a fradulent page.
Vong @ Nov 12th 2007 6:20PM
This thing isnt only happening on Myspace. My friend's AIM account has been hacked into or somthing. Gives me a link to the site. i ignore it though.
michael @ Nov 12th 2007 7:00PM
i get emails everyday with $500 walmart cards from panama, i win the lottery everyday for millions from honk kong, mexico, the united kingdom,all asking for my personal information! everything i advertise for sale on the net some scammer emails me within minutes offering to buy it with a shipper and a cashiers check from Zaire,Nigeria,Canada,England you name it its out there! the my space scammers offer more than a macys card!! free computers, walmart cards, ipods, free ringtones!! where is the internet security? try a dating site! 90% percent of the ads are fake!! wake up america everyone is open to being scammed if you use the internet! even aol! i recieved messages that i had pictures on aol asking for my password only to have my account shut off for spamming! they sent 1000's of emails with my accuont name! go figure! should i have given aol my email address and password just now? they say they never ask for it??
myspace.comserbianidol @ Nov 12th 2007 7:13PM
When my friends get hacked, I usually get this kind of post from them as a comment or as a bulletin. The way to not get hacked is to not download those modifiers or whatever else they hustle.
pat pat @ Nov 12th 2007 7:25PM
YEAH LIKE HALF OF THE COMMENTS ON MY PAGE ARE ABOUT THIS....SERIOUSLY!!!!...BUT I'M SMART I NEVER CLICKED IT....THANK GOD....
Audrey @ Nov 12th 2007 7:27PM
So is Tom doing anything about this?!
Baldaramos510 @ Nov 12th 2007 8:02PM
My Space?...I get PLENTY of these in my AOL mail
trigunvash38 @ Nov 12th 2007 8:18PM
Thank you for participating in our FREE survey! As a result, you are entitled to a FREE 500 dollar MACY'S CARD!! Click the link below to claim your .......
Zac the Hoople @ Nov 12th 2007 8:26PM
The same people pop up late night on craigslist under the free stuff section offering $500 cards to Rred Lobster and Olive Garden. That's a month's worth of dinner for the average person, EVERY NIGHT if it were real...
Cortez @ Nov 12th 2007 8:32PM
To take precautions, whenever you're faced with a page that wants you to log in again, look and make sure your browser says the web address is something with "Myspace" in it..
jamesnpost @ Nov 12th 2007 8:53PM
Nobody (absolutely NOBODY) gives away anything (absolutely ANYTHING)free on the internet. ALL con games depend on the same thing: somebody is tempted to believe they will get something for nothing. CHUMPS! (I'll say it again: CHUMPS!)
George @ Nov 12th 2007 9:00PM
this is just aol trying to trash a competitor, shame. there's garbage like this everywhere, why doesn't aol report the crap that goes through their own system? in fact, why does aol insist on putting out celebri-news and entertainment press as news, in the guise of real news. typical corporate self interest at the expense of the public interest, i'd call it.
Paul @ Nov 12th 2007 9:17PM
I've had this junk in my bulk mail for years. It's not just Macy's offers, they use J.C. Penney's and others as well. Don't fall for it. ;-}
CRAIG @ Nov 12th 2007 9:19PM
I WIN THE LOTTERY TWO TO THREE TIMES A WEEK AND I RECIEVE TWO OR THREE LETTERS TELLING ME THAT THEY HAVE THIS FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS THAT THEY NEED TO DEPOSIT IN MY ACCOUNT AND ALL I HAVE TO DO IS SEND THEM MY NAME AND ACCOUNT NUMBER,SURE!I KNOW THAT IF YOU WANT TO EARN SOME SERIOUS CASH YOU GO TO WWW.EARNYOURREALWORTH.BIZ AND GET GOING WHITH THIS SIMPLE AUTOMATED SYSTEM THAT WORKS 24/7 FOR YOU AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WINNING ANY LOTTERY AND I'LL SEE YOU ON THE BEACH !
Lowell @ Nov 12th 2007 9:37PM
myspace is garbage
Rhonda @ Nov 12th 2007 10:02PM
Scams are everywhere on the net, I say that because,I was recently a victim, I had clicked on a work from home business opportunity and boy, did I get a response, this guy had actually shipped me by UPS 4 postal money orders in the amount of $875.00 a piece, OH!, And of course he had specfic instructions to take them to my personal bank to cash them and imediately go to nearest moneygram and mail 90% of the money to 2 seperate addresses he had emailed to me.HA! Imagine the disbelief and the gall this person has, I knew that this was a scam, the BLANK postal money orders were of course fake! I am not new to this world and by God , I hope he never sends this bull crap to anyone else ! He was very persistant with his emails and even sent one saying the FBI is coming and I will be caught!!! I hope and pray that they catch this man, the whole thing was so phony it reaked!! So people beware what you click on , I mean to send someone blank postal money orders with instructions , HA! TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!!!
Jason @ Nov 12th 2007 10:14PM
Thats not the only one out there, what about the one for the free purse, the one for a free mp3 and the one about legal pot. I just cant believe that their posting this now when its been out for years.
joelm84 @ Nov 12th 2007 10:20PM
"What the hell is an Internet-Cum-Portal!" come on....heck your spelling