{"id":53909,"date":"2025-07-24T03:59:31","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T07:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=53909"},"modified":"2025-07-24T03:59:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T07:59:31","slug":"google-forms-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/google-forms-scam\/53909\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware of Google Forms bearing crypto gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve probably filled out a Google Forms survey at least once \u2014 likely signing up for an event, taking a poll, or gathering someone else\u2019s contacts. No wonder you did \u2014 this is a convenient and easy-to-use service backed by a tech giant.\u00a0This simplicity and trust have become the perfect cover for a new wave of online scams. Fraudsters have figured out how to use Google Forms to hide their schemes, luring victims with promises of free cryptocurrency. And all the victim has to do to fall into the trap is click a link.<\/p>\n

Free crypto is only in a scammer\u2019s trap<\/h2>\n

Just like parents tell their kids not to take candy from strangers, we recommend being cautious about offers that seem too good to be true. Today\u2019s story is exactly about that. Our researchers have uncovered a new wave of scam attacks exploiting Google Forms. Scammers use this Google service to send potential victims emails offering free cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n

\"The transaction for the transfer has been verified\"<\/a>

\u201cThe transaction for the transfer has been verified\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

As is often the case, the scam is wrapped in a flashy, tempting package: victims are lured with promises of cashing out a large sum of cryptocurrency. But before you can get your payout, the scammers ask you to pay a fee \u2014 though not right away. First, you have to click a link in the email, land on a fake website, and enter your crypto wallet details and your email address (a nice bonus for the scammers). And just like that, you wave goodbye to your money.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The scammers are counting on victims finding an offer of 1.275 BTC too hard to resist<\/p><\/div>\n

If we take a closer look at these emails, we\u2019ll see that they don\u2019t exactly win any awards for looking legit. That\u2019s because, while Google Forms is a free tool that allows anyone, including scammers, to create professional-looking emails, these emails have a very specific look that\u2019s pretty hard to pass off as a real crypto platform notification. So why do scammers use Google Forms?<\/p>\n

Because this allows the message to slip through email filters, and there\u2019s a good reason for that. Email messages like these are sent from Google\u2019s own mail servers and include links to the domain forms.gle<\/em>. The links look legit to spam filters, so there\u2019s a good chance these messages will make it into your inbox. This is how scammers exploit the good reputation of this online service.<\/p>\n

Google Forms scams are on the rise. According to some experts, the number of these scams increased by 63%<\/a> in 2024 and likely continues to grow in 2025. That means one thing: you need to share this post right now with your loved ones who are just starting to explore the internet. Tell them about the most common types of scams today and how to protect themselves.<\/p>\n

Protecting yourself from Google Forms scams<\/h2>\n

The easiest and most effective approach is to rely on a trusted security tool<\/a>\u00a0that alerts you whenever you try to visit a phishing website. What are some other things you can do?<\/p>\n