Costco members urged to stay alert following dangerous scam targeting credit card information
Costco is renowned for offering a wide range of household consumables in bulk quantities, including items like laundry detergents and crates of tea bags.
Membership is offered on an exclusive basis to a select group of people and professions.
However, if you're a Costco member, there's a new scam you need to be aware of.
At the start of this year, one loyal Costco member for over a decade revealed that the email looked real and even included the Costco logo.
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Customer Michael Brown shared an email from someone posing as Costco that offered him a 'free' deal in exchange for some of his personal information. The phishing email seems pretty legit too.
'It looked so real,' Brown said.
The Springfield, Missouri-based TV station KY3 reported on the scam. The phishing email falsely informs the recipient that their Costco membership has expired and lures them to sign up for a free 90-day membership extension.
The customer is then asked to enter their credit card information along with other personal details.
'Dear customer, Your Costco Account has expired! But, as part of our loyalty program, you can now extend for 90 days,' the scam email reads.
'When I clicked on it, they wanted all sorts of information. My bank card number, my address, my phone number. That’s when I said no,' Brown explained.
If Costco members come across the email, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) encourages customers to contact the warehouse or go directly to their website to keep an eye out for any changes to their membership.
Pamela Hernandez, a rep for BBB, advised on what to do.
'The best thing to do is go into your account on the app or website. If you have a membership like a Costco or an Amazon Prime account, you can log into your account and go directly to the website.
'If there’s a problem, there will be something about your membership expiring or some sort of notification in your account with the business,' she said.
The bulk sales company lists the full scams on their website so members know what to look out for.
Some scams revolve around marketing surveys to win a '500$ reward' or a '£90 promo reward'.
Others are advertising redeemable gift cards and cash rewards.