Categories: Tech

Massive scam spreading designed to trick you and steal your money

Look at the image. That’s not the real Omaha Steaks. It’s from a fake site designed to steal your money.

It’s happening all over the internet right now. You see a great deal on name-brand stuff, a new smartwatch, fancy cookware, maybe some designer jeans, and you click.

Everything looks real. The logos, the layout, even Apple and Google Pay are options. But it’s a scam, and now your credit card info is out there.

5-MINUTE CLEANUP FOR YOUR PHONE AND COMPUTER

A massive scam targeting you

Silent Push analysts uncovered thousands of fake websites posing as trusted stores like Apple, Michael Kors, Harbor Freight, REI, Omaha Steaks and more. There’s a massive global scam operation that uses real payment methods on fake checkout pages. Like thousands-of-sites massive.

An image of a fake “Omaha Steaks” website designed to steal your money. (Silent Push)

The twist? The criminals, likely based in China, take your payment and ghost you. No product. No refund. No customer service. Total fake-out.

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They cloned sites

They’re copying everything. Logos, layouts, even the checkout process, so much so that you’d swear you were on the real REI website while buying $10 trail shoes.

But there were some sites with mismatched logos and products. A Harbor Freight clone showed Wrangler jeans.

FILE PHOTO: A photo illustration of a person shopping online. (iStock)

Even worse: These scam sites are popping up faster than hosting companies can take them down. Many are still up right now.

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Don’t fall for it

Slow down and read. Misspelled words, weird domain names like “nordstromltems.com” (that’s an L, not an I) or random products are huge red flags.
Use virtual cards or a credit card. Not a debit card. You need that fraud protection.
Stick to the real URL. Skip the sketchy ads. Always type the URL in yourself.
If the deal looks too good, it probably is a scam. Period.

FILE PHOTO: A photo illustration of a cybercriminal. (iStock)

Bottom line: If the deal looks like it crawled straight out of your dreams, it’s probably from your nightmares. Slow down before you click “buy.”

Now you know this is happening. This scam campaign is a big one, and you need to stay sharp. Help save the world and use the icons below to share this know-how with your family and friends.

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