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As a rule of thumb, if you suddenly get an email claiming you won something, you probably haven’t. There’s no better example of this than the Mystery Box scam, which promises something exciting but is, in fact, just a trick to steal your information.
So, how does it work, and what happens if you fall for it?
What Is the “Mystery Box” Scam?
The Mystery Box scam has many different variants, but they all share the same element. The email will claim that you can win a mystery prize by clicking a button and answering a few questions. The scam can impersonate any company to make itself look legitimate, but scammers will likely use Shein or Amazon as their front.
What Happens If You Click the Mystery Box?
If you cave to your curiosity and click the link in the email, you’ll be directed to a fake website designed to look like Shein, Amazon, or whatever company the scammer chose. The website will feature a survey you must fill out before you get your prize.
The survey will ask you for sensitive data, such as usernames, passwords, and banking information. Of course, if you reach the end of the survey, there are no prizes to be won. Filling out the survey will leave you with nothing and give the scammer all your details.
Do note that nothing bad will happen if you receive or open a Mystery Box email. The scam only triggers if you click the link and enter your details manually. Simply opening the email isn’t enough for the scammer to steal your data.
How to Avoid the Mystery Box Scam
Given how the Mystery Box email scam relies on you entering your data into a survey, avoiding this scam is very easy. If you see an email from a strange address claiming you won something, don’t click on any links. Simply mark it as spam (if it wasn’t in your spam filter already) and delete it if you want. While you’re at it, check outexamples of fraud and phishing emailsto learn more about this attack method, and test yourself with thesephishing quizzes.
While the Mystery Box scam can reveal your credentials to scammers, they’re only effective if you go through the steps and enter all your details. As such, avoiding this scam is as easy as following a well-known mantra; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
