In February 2023, we looked into a new Target PS5 scam email that claimed recipients had won a brand new Sony PlayStation 5 gaming console. However, this was a scam, and a potentially dangerous one, at that.
The subject line in the emails read, "You have won a PlayStation 5." The messages came from an email address with the display name "Target PS5." Target and Sony had no involvement in the scam. Their company names and logos were being used without authorization.
The Target PS5 scam email showed a fairly professional design.
[See also: Did Walmart Employees Hide a PS5 Stash for Themselves?]
The body of the email misleadingly said that all users needed to do was answer some survey questions to "win a brand new PlayStation 5."
It will take you only a minute to receive this fantastic prize. PlayStation 5.
Target. Answer & Win: A Brand New PlayStation 5. Get Started Now.
Congratulations! You have been chosen to participate in our Loyalty Program for FREE! It will take you only a minute to receive this fantastic prize.
If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you may unsubscribe by clicking here.
The link in the email led to a 15-question survey on orientgrounds.info, a brand new website that was registered on Feb. 14, according to GoDaddy.com.
After those 15 questions, the scam led to win.myluckyprizes.com/ps5/checkout.php. This website, myluckyprizes.com, was also fairly new and had been created in January 2023. Records showed that it was registered on a Vietnamese domain registrar.
We had already seen plenty of signs that this Target PS5 email was a scam, and the Vietnamese registration was yet another red flag that none of this was legitimate.
On myluckyprizes.com, the website asked for the user's name, mailing address, phone number, and email address. It then asked for a credit card number and claimed the financial information was needed to charge $7.95 to be entered to win the PS5.
We found no pages for a terms of service or privacy policy on myluckyprizes.com. We also didn't see a parent company name or any other identifying details. Further, attempts to load the homepage of myluckyprizes.com failed with a "403 Forbidden" error.
If any readers fell for this scam and gave away a credit card number, we recommend that they immediately contact their credit card company to let them know what happened. The credit card company can best advise on what to do next. A new credit card number may need to be issued through the mail. The reason for this precaution is that scammers sometimes try to use credit card information days, weeks, or even months after they get their hands on it.