INTERNET SCAM SENT VIA REGULAR MAIL?
Yesterday I received a postcard that is apparently designed to look like an Amazon communication…
Unfortunately, the red flags are flying.
- Prominent Amazon logo.
- There is no return address.
- There is no stamp but a bulk indicia.
- A non-Amazon email is listed on the card, and the QR code links to a non-Amazon site.
- Prominent Amazon logo.
- Plausible “New Product Test Invitation.”
- No mention of any product purchased.
- Characterized as a membership “test club.”
- Free merchandise offer.
- Commission amount up to $40.
- You need to register your name and contact information.
- A non-Amazon email is listed on the card, and the QR code links to a non-Amazon site.
Why this is suspicious…
Amazon, for the most part, is an online operation. As one who allegedly purchased something, Amazon would already have your personal details, including your payment method. Had they decided to make an offer, it would have been as a pop-up screen after a successful log-in to their site or an email with a code to be used after a successful log-in to their site.
Additionally, a check of the domain name associated with the printed address indicates that the site was established by Alibaba Cloud Computing (Beijing) Co., Ltd., and the QR code address indicates the site was established by GoDaddy.com, LLC on 2021-11-25 and expires on 2022-11-24 unless renewed. Both sites have hidden information masked by a privacy service.
What this appears to be…
My best guess is this is an email list-building effort to capture your contact details and any information your browser typically forwards when accessing a website.
Is it a scam? Who really knows? But it is deceptive as hell, which makes it a candidate for the shredder.
Bottom line…
The best advice comes from the Better Business Bureau: “Investigate BEFORE you invest.”
We are so screwed.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS