Behind the scenes
From Philippine text traps to fake Galaxus e-mails, these are the common scams of 2025
by Daniel Borchers
Phishing alert: fake Galaxus survey uses free gift as bait
12.3.2026
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Phishing e-mails claiming to be from Galaxus are currently making the rounds. The scam relies on a fake customer satisfaction survey that reels in recipients with the promise of a free gift. The scammers’ goal is to obtain your address and credit card details.
Complete the survey to get a free bottle of perfume? If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Beware: there’s currently a slew of similar e-mails in circulation, targeting personal and credit card information.
How the scam works
The e-mail claims to come from Galaxus and invites recipients to take part in a customer satisfaction survey. As a reward, it promises a free bottle of perfume. A button in the e-mail leads to a fake website that closely resembles the real Galaxus site. «Galaxus never sends e-mails promising a gift in exchange for credit card details,» says Flavio von Rickenbach, Fraud Analyst at Digitec Galaxus.
The survey itself appears harmless with questions about your purchasing frequency, satisfaction and preferred product categories. This is all part of the scammers’ strategy; the questions are meant to distract you from the fake URL. After completing the survey, you’re asked to select a gift. The website then takes you to the order process and asks for your shipping address, e-mail and contact information.
Finally, you’re asked to enter your payment information. Although the gift itself is supposedly free, the website charges you a small shipping fee, making the request for your credit card details seem plausible. By entering your credit card number, expiry date and security code, you’re handing the scammers everything they need to misuse your card. «It doesnʼt stop with a few francs for shipping. The stolen card details are then used to place expensive orders at other online shops,» warns Flavio.
How to protect yourself
There’s no foolproof way to prevent fraud – but there are steps you can take to protect yourself and others.
- Check the sender: Look closely at the senderʼs address. Official e-mails from Galaxus don’t come from cryptic or unknown domains. If the e-mail address looks suspicious, be cautious.
- Check the website URL: In addition to verifying the sender, make sure to check the address bar in your browser.
- Do not share sensitive data: Galaxus will never ask for credit card details or passwords by e-mail.
- When in doubt, ask us directly: Not sure whether an e-mail is genuine? Contact customer service via Galaxus Assistant. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
- Be sceptical of urgency and freebies: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Inform others: Warn other users about the scam. You can report scams to cybercrimepolice.ch (Switzerland), Deutsche Verbraucherzentrale (Germany) or watchlist-internet.at (Austria).
Did you fall for the scam?
If you’ve entered your credit card details, contact your financial institution immediately and block the affected card. If you’ve shared your address, watch out in the coming weeks for unexpected orders or invoices in your name. Be sure to also file a report with the police and report the scam to cybercrimepolice.
Manuel Wenk
Communications Manager
Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.chAs a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.
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