How to Spot (and Outsmart) the 5 Costco Scams Flooding Your Inbox
That urgent Costco message might be a scam. Here's how to protect your personal information
Love shopping at Costco? Here’s something you should know: Scammers regularly pretend to be the warehouse chain and send out fraudulent text messages and emails in an attempt to steal customers’ sensitive information. But you can outsmart their traps just by being one step ahead! Find out more about 5 of the most common Costco phishing emails flooding inboxes right now, plus exactly what to do if one lands in yours.
How to spot a Costco phishing email: 5 common scams
Fake job offers that sound too good to be true
Costco often pays its employees significantly more than other retail jobs, which means its positions are highly coveted. Naturally, it can be flattering when an alleged Costco recruiter reaches out to tell you they are interested in hiring you! It will usually start with a greeting like “Your profile caught our attention through multiple recruiting platforms and we believe you’d be a good fit for our current part-time remote job opportunity.”
To make it an especially enticing offer, they’ll make it clear that the pay is fantastic. You may be told you could earn as much as $1,000 for four days of work.
Another confirmed scam? Fraudsters send a message for a nonexistent job like online Costco commentator, which includes an impressive salary and $6,000 bonus.
You’ll get the job very quickly when you respond, and all the “recruiter” needs is personal information and possibly background check fees or “equipment purchase” money.
The truth: Costco will not reach out to you about a potential job that you did not apply for, and you will not need to pay money to accept a position. If you are interested in a job with the company, you’ll need to apply at careers.costco.com
Survey scams promising big rewards
One of the most common schemes bad actors have been running for years? Costco surveys! These start with a message promising you that “your opinion matters” and that the company wants to hear what you think as a loyal customer.
In exchange for your valuable feedback, you will supposedly get a special reward like a gift card or cash. But there’s a catch: You have to act quickly to complete this survey or other customers will beat you to the secret reward.
The truth: Costco won’t send online surveys out of the blue offering rewards. There are some specific instances in which the company wants feedback (such as after a customer service interaction), but they won’t try to entice you with a prize.
Fake membership expiration alerts
When you’re a regular Costco customer, learning that your membership is about to expire can send you into a panic. That’s why fraudsters create phishing emails that tell you that you are in danger of losing your account if you don’t act right away. The message may say something like “Your Costco Membership will be terminated” or “We couldn’t renew your Costco Subscription,” adding that the issue is due to the fact that your payment method on file did not go through.
According to the sender, however, there’s an easy fix: Click on the link provided in the email and update your payment information.
The truth: You can renew your Costco membership online, but you should do so by logging into your account on the official Costco website. For any questions about your membership, contact customer service directly.
‘Exclusive’ giveaways that aren’t real
From electronics to gift cards, who doesn’t want to win a freebie? That’s what scammers are counting on when they send out messages claiming you have a chance to win a prize from Costco. The email will specifically alert you that you have been specially selected to participate in an exclusive giveaway.
In most cases, the prize will be something too-good-to-be true, such as a new iPhone. But it might be a more “realistic” item too—one Reddit user recalled a prize being a cat tree.
All you need to do to claim or enter the giveaway is click a button that says “enter to win,” and provide your information. (For a prize, you may be told you have to pay for shipping too.)
The truth: Costco regularly offers free samples inside its stores but does not host big giveaways for customers.
Suspicious ‘items left in cart’ emails
It’s not uncommon for retailers—Costco included—to message customers and alert them that there’s an item left in their online shopping cart. But there have been confirmed phishing emails that look just like these legitimate messages.
The fraudster will let you know that you haven’t completed your purchase for items in your cart but you can “complete it now while they’re still available.” To make it easy, the message includes a link to both the “Costco” website and your alleged online cart. Clicking on either of these will likely take you to a faux website meant to steal your information.
The truth: The safest way to check for items left in your cart is to go to the website and log into your account. After a period of inactivity, the product may have disappeared from your cart, but you can easily purchase it again on the official Costco website if it’s still in stock.
What to do if you receive a suspicious Costco email or text
If you spot any emails or text messages that appear to be from Costco, check the sender. Most of these phishing attempts will have suspicious addresses that don’t appear to be from the warehouse chain. When in doubt, avoid clicking on any included links or responding to the message.
Wondering where to report a Costco phishing email? The company suggests sending them that information via one of the confirmed methods on the contact page. That gives Costco a chance to update its list of currently known scams and keep customers safe.
You can also report the scheme to the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, or your state Attorney General’s office to help stop scammers in their tracks.
When it comes to Costco phishing emails, stay vigilant and trust your gut—if something feels off, it probably is.
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