The following article comes from an article provided by KnowBe4 Security Awareness and training. 

No matter what time of the year, there always seems to be the need for a perfect gift for a loved one. Whether you’re planning to shop online or at a local store, retailers may send you surveys via email that include rewards such as special offers and/or coupons. This is also a common way that scammers will attempt to access your personal information. 

Scammers pose as well-known brands and send emails that promote extravagant rewards, like a new iPhone or gift cards in exchange for your time and information. The majority of these emails claim there is a limited number of rewards remaining and create a level of urgency to complete the survey.

At the end of the survey, you’re told that you have won the prize and all that you have to do is pay for delivery—the fake prize and request for your shipping details are methods used to gather your name, address, and payment information.  

To protect yourself, remind yourself of these “if” scenarios: 

• If you are asked for unexpected information or to make a payment, the survey is likely a scam. 
• If it sounds too good to be true, it more than likely is! No one hands out free cell phones, cars, or other extravagant rewards over the internet. 
• If you’ve received an email survey, you can always confirm the credibility of the email with the retailer directly. By doing so, you could be making the retailer aware of a scam attempt they may not have known about. 

If in doubt, opt out and don’t complete the survey!