Brand-impersonation scams using fake support channels to steal credentials and financial data

Multiple brand-impersonation scams are targeting consumers by pushing them to interact with fake customer support and surrender sensitive data. One campaign uses a fraudulent site styled as Avast to convince French-speaking users they were charged €499.99 and must act quickly to “cancel” and receive a refund; the page dynamically inserts the current date via JavaScript, loads the Avast logo from Avast’s own CDN to appear legitimate, and then harvests full payment-card details (PAN, expiry, and CVV) via a cancellation/refund form.

Separate but related social-engineering activity targets Robinhood users with “security alert” SMS and email lures that direct victims to call scam call-center numbers, where operators attempt to extract login credentials, 2FA codes, and other personal/financial information; the email variant also commonly pushes victims toward installing remote-access tools such as AnyDesk or TeamViewer under the guise of support. In another consumer fraud pattern, scammers posing as a mobile carrier (e.g., Spectrum) call shortly after a phone delivery, claim the wrong device was shipped, and trick the recipient into mailing the phone to the attacker—enabling resale and potential identity-fraud follow-on if the device/line is activated under the victim’s details.