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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Comments
62
Subscribe to commentsSusanNov 13th 2007 3:15PM
OMG, I have a learning disorder and knew this was a sam the minute I seen it on others pages. It took almost a yr. before I got it on my page. I immediately delete all comments like that. Write to the person to let them know they have been phished usually by email outside of myspace. But again, all but the music one. I have contact with outside of myspace regularly. I don't add just anyone to my page.
RajNov 13th 2007 10:39AM
joelm84, it's a poor marriage of latin and english.
Angela StephensNov 13th 2007 10:43AM
This exact thing just happened to me. I'm not sure how it did because I didn't click on anything. I started getting emails that I had received a comment from myself. When I would sign into my account, there was the Macy's card thing. I just deleted it through Myspace's delete options. Then I started getting messages from my friends saying that they were getting phishing comments and messages from me that I wasn't sending. I saw the Macy's card and what appeared to be a video of a woman in a green bikini top with a seatbelt across her chest. I changed my password and alerted my friends and haven't had anymore trouble. It has been about a week so hopefully everything is ok. I'm wondering since I didn't click on anything but my account was hacked, was any personal info stolen? Can that hacking go beyond Myspace since it was only on my Myspace page and steal more info that just Myspace info?
AmyNov 13th 2007 10:47AM
joelm84....why don't YOU check a damn DICTIONARY???? CUM is a REAL word and NO the definition has nothing to do with SEX.....you ever heard of graduating "CUM LAUDE"???? Why don;t you look stuff up BEFORE posting so you don't look like a total loser????
CrystalNov 13th 2007 5:36PM
Come on people wake up! Some of you sound as though you are surprised this could happen to you. It's got nothing to do with My Space, AOL, Hotmail or any other sites. It's what You allow Yourself to fall victim to. By now everyone has been approached by at least one scam, so at this point, only an idiot would ALLOW himself to be had by the scammer. Oh, it also makes me feel a little better when I reply to every single scam letter that I receive with a few choice words. I simply reply, " Please feel free to shove this scam letter all up in your ----" Not very lady like I know, but it sure makes me feel better.
RobertNov 13th 2007 12:29PM
RIGHT! Macy's is going to offer a free $500.00 gift card. IF you are stupid enough to fall for this or ANY other scam online you DESERVE to be taken advantage of. NOTHING in this stinking cesspool of a so-called world is FREE and NO ONE, without exception, can be trusted. Maintain THAT attitude and you will live life on YOUR terms, keep your money in YOUR pocket and not spend a moments time thinking about any of the crap going on around you.
thezatoradeNov 13th 2007 11:01PM
if people would just think about these things, we wouldnt have these epidemics of pure stupidity resulting in mass chaos. honestly, we are getting easier to fool each year!
SharonNov 14th 2007 3:23PM
Two (2)things to remember: 1- You can't cheat an honest man.
2- If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!
BobNov 14th 2007 3:37PM
Some people are just plain stupid and fall for these scams. It is hard to believe that the Nigerian type scams are still appearing. Some idiots must still fall them or else they would have stopped sending them. Yet I have never heard of one arrest being made.
LouNov 14th 2007 4:28PM
Angela I am sorry to say that this happend when you "signed into" you're myspace. It was a fake site that looked like a legit myspace page. They had your user name and password and used that info to send out more phishing links. You fixed it when you changed your password. Also, not everthing on the internet is connected. The only info you have exposed to them is whatever is on your myspace page. If you used the same password for your e-mail/bank account/anything else you should change those as well. Esp. Since your the kind of person who when posting a comment actually puts their FULL NAME in the "Name" Box.
LouNov 14th 2007 4:33PM
Oh.. I forgot to mention. Something new to the whole phishing arena is the ability to make the "Delete comment" link fake and send you to false myspace. Just right click the link and scroll down to properties. In that window it will tell you the address of the webpage. Its usually a jumble of numbers and letters if its false.
cherNov 14th 2007 5:14PM
If it sounds to good to be true, IT IS!!! Duhhh.... No one is giving away anything for free, EVER.
love ..lolNov 14th 2007 5:28PM
It's all a scam. Why can't people know this? Just like all the free gifts, if you order junk. That is not free when you have to subscribe to junk they are selling. Just like all those UK scams. Lottery winnings/death notices to get cash from the UK bank. All scams. I don't even think anything in life is FREE. lol report them to SPAM@UCE.GOV
love ..lolNov 14th 2007 5:34PM
How can people fall for those scams? They are all over the net, television, newspapers, and people still give out their personal information. Nothing is free .... when you receive those scams letters, especially from Nigeria and the UK, forward them to - SPAM@UCE.GOV
The goverment is finally checking into them.
SPAM@UCE.GOV
kyleNov 14th 2007 5:38PM
Free money, free computers, free gift cards, free trips. You won the lottery ...someone passed away and they want to give you their money they left in the bank ...What scams.
If you fall for them, I also have a "bridge" to sell you, really cheap. Give me all your personal data and I'll send you part of the bridge. lol
Be careful with those cons and scams. Report them - to - SPAM@UCE.GOV Don't get ripped off.
meNov 14th 2007 6:04PM
How are people still dumb enough to actually click on these? It's nothing new and it's common sense to NOT click on these things. If anyone is dumb enough to fall for this, they deserve to have it happen. It's not hard to avoid this stuff.
DougNov 14th 2007 6:20PM
My bulk mail has 20 to 50 offers per day from gift cards to laptops. I made the mistake of filling out the coke rewards and I believe they sold that info to anyone and everyone. There ain't no free lunch.
media wizNov 14th 2007 7:07PM
Anyone with half a brain should know that nothing is free. I've gotten those emails not just about free Macy's gift cards but also Walmart, Costco, JCPenney and Bloomingdales. Some of them say "You could receive a free giftcard from blah-blah if you complete this survey..."
Another to avoid is the "work from home" emails. They're mostly pyramid schemes.
trepanierNov 14th 2007 8:52PM
although most everybody has seen these, it's sometimes tough to warn the kids and get them to pay attention. it's necessary to have a good antivirus/spyware software. the best????????
AnnNov 20th 2007 4:22AM
when I was a newcomer to the Internet I filled out "surveys" in return for a promise of free, TV, cosmetics, etc.. I never, repeat NEVER got any of these free gifts for my "participation"... I just delete these offers now... phishing is something that happens fairly often to me especially in connection with ebay and paypal related stuff; I dutifully FORWARD these to their spoof - sites and NEVER open ANY LINKS but must say I'm surprised that this company seems so helpless in their efforts to put these criminals out of business; they always respond, promise make nice promises, but phishing emails appear fairly regularly and their authors are very "creative" to say the least and therefore very dangerous...