After WhatsApp, spammers use fake Amazon site to dupe users

A message received by a user contained a link of a fake Amazon site listing a Samsung Galaxy J7 16GB handset for as low as Rs 499.

Mumbai

: After posting several malicious offers on popular messaging platform WhatsApp, scamsters have now started a new malicious campaign on a fake platform that imitates popular e-commerce website Amazon.

A message received by a user contained a link of a fake Amazon site listing a Samsung Galaxy J7 16GB handset for as low as Rs 499; the phone actually costs Rs 13,490 on Amazon’s real website.

On clicking the checkout button to make the purchase, several unnecessary steps were forced upon the user. Finally the user was asked to share the malicious message on eight different groups or friends on WhatsApp.

Even after sharing the message with eight groups, the malicious website asked the user to download an ‘official partner app’ to continue with the booking. Following the steps led the user to the landing page of an unrelated app—Pockets by ICICI Bank.

However, the unending loop led the user from one app’s landing page to another without any end result.

Online scamsters have increased their activities significantly in India with increased Internet penetration.

In such a scenario, users should be extremely careful while surfing the Internet and avoid clicking on malicious links and websites.