Have you received an email saying you won a Shein gift card? Is the email asking you to complete an online survey to receive your gift card? This is most likely a scam. Don't fill out any forms or share your personal information unless you confirm its authenticity.

How can you determine if the email is genuine and sent from Shein or one of its shopping partners? How should you respond if it turns out to be a scam? And if you've already fallen victim to this scam, what should you do?

What Is the Shein Gift Card Scam?

The Shien gift card scam is a phishing email scam in which cybercriminals send a bogus message telling victims they have won a gift card from the online store. Victims are instructed to fill out a form, with a link embedded in the email, so that Shein can send them their freebie. In reality, it is a scam that has nothing to do with Shein.

Victims who click on the embedded link in excitement are taken to an online form that looks like a real survey. In most cases, the form is designed to look professional and takes some time to fill out. Some users who have received this scam email have said that this survey form might take more than an hour. Scammers do this to give the impression that it's real, but it's not.

In the survey, victims are asked many questions about their shopping behavior and Shein, the company, itself. Following a few pages of general questions, they're requested to provide their personal information, such as their name, address, and bank account information.

The victims are also asked to pay a shipping fee, which is usually very small, such as a dollar or two, but it could be more than that. Since the apparent gift card is usually worth hundreds of dollars, victims typically don't mind this shipping addition. The reality is scammers make a lot of money through shipping fees as they receive a few dollars from hundreds of victims.

After completing the form and paying the shipping fee, victims are told that they will receive their gift card within five to seven business days. But the gift card never arrives.

How to Spot a Fake Shein Gift Card Email

Free gift card emails are not always scams. Like most online retailers, Shein also sells gift cards and sometimes gives them away for free as a reward. Aside from that, online rewards platforms such as InboxDollars, MyPoints, and Swagbucks reward users with free gift cards in exchange for using their services.

So you should verify that the email you received is a scam, not a genuine offer to get a freebie from Shein or one of its partners. Those who use reward apps or are regular Shein customers should pay closer attention to gift card emails.

To differentiate a genuine email from a scam, simply check the email address from which you received this message. If the email address contains a specific brand name, such as Swagbucks, find the official email address of that brand and compare it to the address you received the email from.

Check this carefully; scammers can easily fool you by making the email address appear almost identical to the official one. If you have any doubts, contact the customer support of that company to verify if it's an official email from that brand. This should help you determine whether it's legitimate or not.

If you don't want to contact the brand's customer support for some reason or have other doubts, look for further signs to confirm it's a gift card scam.

How Should You Respond to an Email Offering Free Gift Cards?

If you have verified that the email you received is genuine, follow the instructions in the email to redeem your reward. We nonetheless recommend you don't click on specific links without checking with the relevant company. However, if the email address is not legitimate and the brand mentioned in the email denies sending it, you should block the sender's email address. This will prevent scammers from contacting you in the future.

If the email asks you to download an attached e-gift card, do not do so. It could be malicious, and will likely infect your device. Likewise, if a link is included in the email, don't click on it. That way, you protect your device from hackers.

Lastly, you should report the email so that your email provider takes action against scammers and bans their address. This small but effective step will help break down the chain of scams cybercriminals are spreading.

Got Scammed? Here's What You Should Do Next

In case you've already been scammed by a fake email, there are a few steps you can take to avoid further damage.

If you have paid scammers the shipping fee, you should ask your bank or credit card company for a refund. Scammers will use every dollar you mistakenly pay them to scam other innocent people like you, so do your best to recover the money, no matter how much it is. For that reason, before doing anything else, request your refund.

In case you've shared your personal or family details when filling out the survey form, you should inform the relevant authorities immediately. This way, if scammers use your data to commit criminal activities, you should be safe from legal consequences.

If scammers have obtained some of your critical details, such as your bank account and credit card numbers, they may attempt to misuse them. To avoid such fraud, you should request your bank or credit card company freeze your bank account and cards temporarily. They should then be able to advise you on the next steps to take.

And if you've accidentally downloaded any attachments from the email, run a malware scan on your device to ensure it hasn't been infected.

Don't Fall Victim to Fake Gift Card Emails

Receiving an email promising a free gift card can be exciting, and scammers love to take advantage of this. By now, you should have a better idea of how free gift card scams work and how to distinguish a genuine email from a fake one.

If you have been a victim of this scam, use the tips above to minimize the damage done. Don't forget to spread the word, so others won't fall victim to this scam.