“Participate in Christmas activities. You can receive DM gifts,” the message reads. Under the drugstore logo is the legitimate-looking link “ dm.de ”

Sounds great! But maybe too good to be true? That's exactly what it is. In reality, it is a sophisticated scam that tricks unsuspecting users into taking part in an apparent competition.
The bait: harmless questionnaire
Right from the start you can tell that you are not on DM's side. Instead, a cryptic URL is displayed in the browser.
This page starts innocently enough with a questionnaire. Four simple questions should pave the way to a supposed win. Spoiler: All answers are correct, you cannot answer wrong.
You are then asked to open virtual gift boxes, whereby the “prize” always seems to be in the second box.

The news of having won 2,000 euros makes your pulse beat faster. The catch: To get the “win,” you have to forward the game to 5 groups or 20 friends.
The trap: mistaken identity and hidden risks
The fraudsters behind this scam pose as the well-known drugstore chain DM in order to create trust. But the reality is darker: this action has nothing to do with DM.
The real goals of scammers are much more damaging. They lure users into expensive subscription traps, and in the worst case scenario, downloaded files can introduce viruses onto the device, endangering personal data.
“Old acquaintance”: Fake DM Christmas competition
We already warned in 2021 about such a fake campaign, which disguises itself as a supposed drugstore competition: HERE
But not only the name of this company, but also those of numerous others have already been misused for various fake competitions. However, the goal behind it is always the same: collecting data from users, subscription traps and also malware.
And for these ventures to really work, they have to be widely distributed. This task is carried out by the users because they are led to believe that this is a prerequisite in order to have a chance of winning the supposed prize.
What you can do: Awareness and caution
It is important to recognize such fraud attempts and protect yourself against them.
- Be wary of competitions that sound too good to be true, especially if they are distributed via social media or messengers.
- Do not share personal information or spread such messages without verifying the source.
Conclusion: Stay alert!
This fake competition is a prime example of how scammers take advantage of people's trust. It is important to remain vigilant and think critically before accepting such lure offers. Remember: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Finally, we would like to invite you to subscribe to the Mimikama newsletter to stay updated about such scams. We also offer valuable media educational resources that can help you move confidently in the digital space.
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

