Hubbycarts.com uses a '$750 Target Gift Card' claim to funnel visitors into sponsored deals
MalwareTips calls Hubbycarts.com a gift card scam: its 'Claim your $750 Target Gift Card' page leads into an affiliate network's sponsored-deal funnel. Target is not running the offer.
- First reported
- Reports
- 1
Source: malwaretips.com · published
What happened
MalwareTips reported on 17 October 2026 that Hubbycarts.com is a gift card scam. The page's title reads "Claim your $750 Target Gift Card", and its screenshot shows four "steps to qualify": click "Start Now", enter an email and basic information, complete 3 to 5 recommended deals, then claim the card. MalwareTips says the named retailer is not running or approving the offer and will not send the card; Target is impersonated and not involved. The claim button opens a tracking link on giftclick.org, an affiliate network domain, not the retailer's website.
How the scam works
According to MalwareTips, reward funnels like this one follow a single script in which only the store name, amount and domain change. Visitors usually arrive from a text, email or social media ad saying they have been "selected" to claim a famous store's reward; some messages use a first name or recent purchase, which can come from an earlier data leak rather than the store. The landing page keeps the steps looking short, often with countdown timers and "only a few cards left" banners that can't be checked.
The claim button passes visitors along an affiliate tracking link, so each sign-up earns the operator a payout. Pages then ask for email, name, phone number, home address and date of birth, often followed by a "survey" about income and shopping habits, and pre-ticked boxes can share those details with dozens of "marketing partners". The card sits behind sponsored deals: free trials, streaming plans, insurance quotes, credit applications or mobile games played to a set level. An uncancelled trial can become a full-price subscription, and a credit application can leave a hard inquiry.
The finish line keeps moving: more deals are required, one "didn't track", or the claim goes "pending review". The card was never the product, and no named company is responsible for delivering it.
Source
MalwareTips, "Hubbycarts.com Gift Card Offer EXPOSED - Fake Or Real?" (published 17 October 2026).
Red flags
- A big-store gift card worth hundreds offered for 'a few quick steps'.
- A requirement to complete paid trials, subscriptions, app installs or credit applications to qualify.
- A store's name on an unrelated domain, with a claim button that opens a tracking link.
- No company, address or support contact responsible for the reward.
- Pre-ticked boxes that share your details with 'marketing partners', and countdown timers.
If you were targeted
- 1Don't enter personal details or start the sponsored deals.
- 2If you signed up for trials or subscriptions, cancel them now and check your card statements; dispute charges you didn't agree to.
- 3If you applied for credit, check your credit report and consider a fraud alert or freeze.
- 4Expect more spam calls and texts; don't respond, and unsubscribe only through legitimate links.
- 5Check gift card offers only on the retailer's own website.
- 6Report the page and message to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.