Dear WAHFAQ,
I got this email that I bought these bracelets, and I didn’t! These people are scammers! I don’t know if I should contact them or not. I’m afraid that if I do, it’ll dig me into a deeper hole. What do you think?
I think you are very wise 🙂
Yes, this is a typical “BUT I DIDN’T BUY THAT!” scam. Scammers and spammers will send out tons of emails like these, (moreso during the holidays!) hoping that someone will take the bait. The email is disguised as an invoice or receipt saying that you ordered something from the company. Their hope is that you will be outraged — thinking that you’ve been a victim of identity fraud — and want to cancel the purchase before your card is charged. You’ll click on the “click here” link, allowing you to cancel the order.
But, the link actually takes you to a spoof site. It’ll be designed to look like whatever payment they say you used, (in this example, it’s PayPal). You’ll log into the website using your actual PayPal login information, which then goes directly into the scammer’s hands. At this point, the website will start to malfunction, and your PayPal login info is compromised.
You are correct that you should NOT contact anyone who sends you an email like this. Don’t click on any links, don’t reply, don’t do nuthin but press delete, (and/or click on the “this is spam” button). Your card has not been charged, you will not receive these gifts. And if at some point there are invalid purchases on your credit cards, you can submit a claim directly with them. Not a 3rd party vendor or business.
So, relax! You did the right thing by doing nothing!
Think about all the extra money you could make by being a mystery shopper, starting your own business, or working from home for a legitimate company. Take control of your income and check out our LEARN page for a list of classes, books, and more!
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