No, You Won’t Get a Free Yeti Cooler From Dick’s Sporting Goods
We’ve all taken short surveys where you get a $10 gift card for a movie theater or a BOGO coupon for Chipotle. How about a free $325 Yeti cooler for participating in the Dick’s Sporting Goods survey? Sounds like a steal, right? This was the latest strategy implemented by a new electronic scam that lured people into a trap and stole their information .
What made this particular email scam special was that it was able to reach many people, bypassing Gmail’s spam filter, which exposed more people to this type of scam than usual. Luckily, whether it’s the Yeti cooler on display or AirPods, there are some easy ways to avoid falling victim to this type of scam.
How did the Yeti cooler scam work?
The email used an advanced coding technique to trick Gmail’s spam filter into thinking it was a real email with important information. He then asked people to complete a survey that asked for your sensitive information, and finally asked you to enter your credit card details to pay for shipping the cooler.
That’s why you should never rely on spam filters to do all the work for you – instead arm yourself with some tools to detect these types of scams. As Dick’s Sporting Goods warns in its security warning , the goal of scammers is to collect your sensitive information for monetary gain.
How to know if an email is a scam?
Check the email domain to make sure it belongs to an official business.
All companies have an email domain that they use for their messages and promotions, which is usually found on their “Contact Us” page on their official website. This domain is usually very similar to the name of the company itself. So if you receive an email from [email protected] you can be sure it is a scam and not Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Go to the company’s website to check if they advertise the offer.
It goes without saying that if Dick’s Sporting Goods were giving away $325 Yeti coolers for participating in a survey, they would really want you to know about it and promote it on their website as well as other social media. So do a little extra work and check their social media handles or even give them a call to make sure the offer is valid.
Also, if you follow a suspicious email and are redirected to a website, check if that website really belongs to the original company. Google the company’s website and see if the URLs match. If it says anything other than the name of the company, in this case www.dickssportinggoods.com , it’s most likely a scam.
Never give out your credit card information for things that are supposed to be free or unverified.
For most scammers, your address, name, email, and other sensitive information is not enough. They also need your credit card information. Luckily, the only way to get it from you is to volunteer it for them. As a general rule, never give out your credit card information for anything that is supposed to be free or unverified.
Be suspicious of anything that asks for your information
Yes, there are legitimate surveys on the Internet that will want to know your name or your address for reasons related to the nature of the survey. But be careful and avoid them if possible. In any case, most surveys are anonymous these days, so if you’re being asked a little more than you’re used to, that’s a red flag. Also be aware that if you win a contest you never signed up for, it might be a scam.
If this is too good to be true, then maybe it is.
If a deal seems too good to be true, give yourself time and space to consider whether what you’re looking at makes sense. Ask a trusted friend or family member who is not involved in the situation if they think what you are about to do is a scam. (If you have to ask, this is most likely a scam.)
What to do if you sent money for the Yeti cooler?
If you provided your credit card or other sensitive information to Yeti cooler’s email or the websites they linked to, the most important thing to do is to call your bank immediately to make sure your account is being monitored for fraud. and follow all the steps they recommend.