New Delhi: With Valentine’s Day approaching, Kaspersky has identified several phishing and malicious campaigns targeting gift card owners and those who are looking for a digital present for their loved ones. To help stay safe, the security experts at Kaspersky have also shared practical advice on how not to be tricked.
Kaspersky’s latest survey shows that 80% of respondents consider giving digital presents such as subscriptions, gaming credits or gift cards. Scammers are actively exploiting this trend capitalizing on well-known brands, creating fake online stores and even crafting fake verification portals designed specifically to steal gift card value.
The study was conducted by Kaspersky’s market research center in November 2025. 3000 respondents from 15 countries (Argentina, Chile, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, UK, United Arab Emirates) took part in the survey.
Kaspersky’s phishing detection identified deceptive platforms offering victims a “secure” system to check their gift cards validity, status or balance. Targeting those who recently received a gift card, phishers steal the card’s identification data and get an opportunity to activate the certificate before the user themselves.
To stay protected from such scams, Kaspersky recommends double‑checking that a website is real. Look carefully at the web address, any links you are asked to click, and spot any odd pictures or designs that might hint that the site is fake.
The safest way to confirm a gift card’s balance is to go straight to the brand’s official website – don’t follow any other links. To prevent clicking on malicious links use a security solution with a strong AI-powered anti-phishing component.
As gift shoppers flood online marketplaces with flash sales and limited-time deals, cybercriminals are watching closely, ready to strike when users are most vulnerable.
Kaspersky experts detected a fake website that mimics Amazon, one of the most famous marketplaces, offering a $200 gift card. With this tempting offer, scammers encourage customers to press a “Get your Amazon gift card” button. However, when the user clicks it, they get an MSI installer with a backdoor that cybercriminals use to remotely control the victim’s device.
This fraudulent scheme highlights the importance of complex cybersecurity protection, showing that clicking on the wrong link may result in not only money and data loss, but also device infection or loss of control over it. When a fake site copies the original store’s look exactly, it is hard to tell which one is real and which is a scam.
Kaspersky Premium protects users from fraudulent online stores through advanced detection technology that analyzes website characteristics and URLs to identify suspicious patterns.
