Perfume not handed out for completing survey, individual labeled as deceitful
Heads Up! That Druni Email About Winning a Free Perfume? Fake News.
So, you've stumbled upon an email claiming to be from the popular perfume chain, Druni, congratulating you for winning a prize — a free perfume. Beware, it's a scam. Druni has personally confirmed that they didn't send this email. Here's the lowdown on this sneaky trick.
The email bombards you with congratulations, promising you're one of the lucky winners. It even has the name and logo of Druni plastered on it. It proceeds with a caveat: you need to fill out a quick survey about the company and your customer experience. Once you do, testimonials from supposedly satisfied customers appear, followed by instructions to claim your prize, which involves providing a postal address and paying a small shipping fee of 1 euro.
Druni Isn't Your Secret Santa
Druni has announced loud and clear: they didn't send this email. When we reached out to them, their communications team confirmed it in no uncertain terms: "Nope, we haven't circulated any such email, it's all hogwash." If you've handed over your personal data, Druni advises you to delete the email and report it immediately.
Back in March, the Catalan Cybersecurity Agency warned about this exact case through their official X profile. We also got in touch with the National Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE), who verifies that it's indeed a phishing scam and shares more insights about similar tricks.
It turns out, the images in the scam email were lifted from various websites, and the photos of "satisfied customers" were snatched without the consent of individuals like fashion editor Emanuelle Alt, children's author Nathan Taylor, and footballer Megan Schutt, among others. The image showing the product is even nicked from a three-year-old Reddit comment!
We've previously reported on cases of identity theft involving commercial brands, such as this phishing scam using the MAPFRE logo and another one where a popular supermarket chain was impersonated through an email.
Here's to Being Cyber Safe
These kinds of scams are more common than you'd think. Don't let your guard down. To protect yourself:
- Verify the Company: Research the company behind the survey. Check reviews and official websites to ensure they're legit.
- Beware of Links: Avoid clicking on links from unknown sources. They could lead you straight into a trap.
- Catch the Errors: Scammers often botch grammar and spelling.
- Watch for Urgency: If the email creates a sense of urgency, be cautious. Take your time to verify whether it's genuine or not.
If you ever receive an offer for a free product in exchange for a survey, remember: always verify the offer first. Don't let scammers trick you. Stay cyber safe! 💅🏽🔒🔥
The average individual should be wary of unsolicited emails, as illustrated by the Druni perfume scam, which is a prime example of cybersecurity risks. This incident underscores the importance of verifying companies and being cautious with links in such emails, given the rising trend of phishing scams in general-news and crime-and-justice sectors.
