Many shoppers flock to SHEIN for its super low prices on clothes for adults and kids, accessories, and even home decor.
However, the fast fashion site has been impersonated in a recent scam involving “mystery boxes.”
Here’s how it works: consumers receive emails that claim to be from SHEIN, letting users know they’ve won a mystery box. Shoppers can claim their prize by clicking on a link within the email. The website even looks like SHEIN’s, in an effort to further confuse consumers into thinking the prize is coming directly from the retailer.
Once consumers click on the link, they’re asked to input all of their personal data to officially claim their mystery box. The website is all a scam, and hackers are on the other end, collecting consumers’ personal information.
How to tell if you’re being scammed
This scam can be particularly hard to spot for consumers, as SHEIN has been known to send out legitimate mystery boxes. However, the retailer’s official website will always have more details on the potential to win a prize.
Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator, shared the best ways for consumers to spot the mystery box scam:
Always check where the message is coming from. Unless the link is coming from SHEIN’s direct website – shein.com – it’s likely a scam.
Scam sites will overlook a lot of key details that legitimate companies don’t – customer service numbers, company addresses, etc.
Scammers will populate sites with low-quality photos or images that have watermarks on them from other companies.
Check out the pricing on the site – anything more than half off SHEIN’s regular pricing is likely a scam.
Improper grammar or spelling mistakes are always a red flag that scammers are involved.
“SHEIN is one of the world’s most popular shopping platforms, with more than 500 million downloads on the Google Play Store alone,” Porcar said. “Scammers have a lot of potential to trick shoppers.”
What to do if you are scammed
In the event you fall victim to a mystery box scam, hope isn’t lost.
Consumers should start by monitoring their bank accounts and credit card statements, and report any unauthorized charges as fraud. It’s also recommended to contact SHEIN’s customer service team directly and alert them to the scam.
Consumers can also report their experience to the FBI’s Crime Complaint Center.