‘Convincing’ fake Debenhams email

What’s the threat?

A scam email claiming to come from retailer Debenhams has been described by Action Fraud as “the most convincing phishing email we’ve seen”.

It’s an exact replica of a genuine ‘e-receipt’ that Debenhams sends when customers buy an item in its stores (see image right). It states the time and price of your ‘order’, hoping to confuse you into clicking the link to check its “details and status”. Doing so will install malware on your computer, phone or tablet.

Unlike many scams, it looks very authentic, with the correct Debenhams logo and a barcode. It’s written in good English, with none of the grammatical errors that normally give the game away. But you can tell it’s a scam by checking the ‘sent’ details – it originates from a personal email address, not from Debenhams.

Debenhams told Action Fraud that it is aware of the scam, and has been contacted by customers about it. A spokesperson for the retailer said: “We continually take steps to protect customers and support the work that organisations such as Action Fraud and Cyber Aware conduct to encourage customers to be vigilant and aware of the steps they can take to stay cyber secure”. convinced of its authenticity. This is particularly true of ‘fake receipt’ scams. Scammers hope people will think, ‘Hang on, I didn’t buy that!’, and instinctively click the link in a rush to avoid being wrongly charged. Treat strange emails like an unexpected knock at the door at midnight: always be careful. In the past, we’ve often warned readers to look for spelling errors and poor grammar in emails. But this scam shows that fraudsters are getting better at both. You can no longer assume that these crooks will reveal their true intentions through a misplaced apostrophe.