As many as a third of Poles (29 percent) are willing to share their date of birth in exchange for a potential discount on purchases. Meanwhile, as NordVPN warns, the company commissioned by the research is often the only “missing link to complete identity theft.”
Who of us has not encountered an offer to receive a discount on purchases for providing some information about yourself? It turns out that although the fact that you have to be careful online has been said for a long time, the prospect of cheaper shopping is a tempting enough prospect for a large part of Poles.
Someone may think that the date of birth is not much, actually nothing, but there is a lot of information available on the web about each of us. Combined with your name or address, it can be a key for scammers to impersonate you. As NordVPN experts note, some of the biggest threats are hacking into users’ bank accounts and opening new accounts in their name, committing fraud using someone else’s identity, and even hijacking tax refund victims.
– Social media is a mine of knowledge about us, and the date of birth is often the only missing link to complete identity theft. We are careful about giving out your address to strangers, and the same should apply to your date of birth. Many people are too quick to give out their private details to get a discount – but instead they get a scam,” says Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN.
What data do Poles often share?
In addition to their date of birth, Poles also provide their email address (61%), name (59%), interests (46%) and phone number (32%) – all to save some money.
Test. What data would Poles reveal in exchange for a discount?NordVPN
Discount offers may cost you more than you save
Briedis warns that people should be more skeptical when they come across a suspiciously good “deal” or opportunity. Deals that are too good to be true can cost us much more than we actually save on them. A NordVPN representative outlines the four most common types of scammers:
● Fake gift cards for free. Scammers lure the victim under the pretext of “free gift cards” in exchange for completing a telephone survey. To inspire trust, they often pose as large and well-known companies/brands.
● Discount scam messages. They look something like this: “Your January bill has been paid. Thank you, here’s the discount code for next month.” At the end, there is a suspicious link that must be clicked to claim the discount. The purpose of such messages is to obtain recipients’ personal information, which makes them vulnerable to identity theft.
● Emails or pop-ups saying “Congratulations, you won!”. Exciting “win” notifications often come with a catch, usually in the form of a fee that you must pay to claim your “prize”. In other cases, you may need to provide personal information in order to receive a fake gift.
● Fake sites with huge discounts. Consumers are often lured to fraudulent websites with fake social media advertisements. They often click on a link to a site that isn’t even real. Research shows that 1.5 million fake websites are created every month, and NordVPN data revealed that 84% of Poles do not pay attention to the credibility of an online retailer.
– Whether it’s an email full of alleged last-minute deals or a pop-up on a website urging you to grab a deal, it’s safest to ignore them completely before it’s too late. Knowledge is the key to fighting fraudsters and cybercriminals who try to attract victims with attractive discounts, gifts or free services, adds Marijus Briedis.
Methodology: The study was commissioned by NordVPN and conducted by third-party Cint from October 25-30, 2022. The target audience for the study was residents of the UK, US, CanadaAustralia GermanFrance, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland over the age of 18. The results were divided by age, sex and place of residence.
Main photo source: Shutterstock