A new Ace Hardware scam is being pushed through spoofed email messages and redirect pages that advertise a free Ego Power+ blower. The tactic guides users from a simple survey into a checkout form designed to capture names, addresses, and credit card details. This Ace Hardware scam follows patterns that appear in retail impersonation incidents covered in our scams section, using familiar branding to draw victims into a multi step funnel.
The operation begins with an unsolicited email that congratulates the recipient for being chosen in a shopper appreciation event. The message includes a fabricated customer ID and is sent from rotating domains built from long randomized subdomains routed through unrelated mail servers. This type of shifting infrastructure helps the attackers bypass filters and blend into normal mailbox traffic. A typical example looks like this:
Subject: ACE Congratulations!! Please confirm receipt ID CLT NU02Z
From: ACE Hardware info@random-subdomain.us via frginvestmentsltd.comHello,
Today’s winner is youCongratulations. You have been selected to receive an exclusive reward. Your name came up for an Ego Power Leaf Blower sweeps. This special gift is from Ace Hardware.
Hurry. Your reward is ready
Customer: [Redacted]
Email: [Redacted]
Reward: Ego Power Leaf Blower SweepsClaim Reward Now
© 2024 Ace Hardware. All rights reserved.If you wish to unsubscribe, click here
The advertiser does not manage your subscription
If you prefer not to receive more messages, please unsubscribe here or write to the Flower Mound TX mailbox listed below
Following the link in the email sends victims through several redirect chains before landing on a survey page styled to resemble an Ace Hardware promotion. The page uses standard branding, a current date, and a countdown timer to generate urgency. The survey consists of simple questions that appear harmless but exist only to move the user deeper into the funnel.
After the survey is completed, the victim is shown a reward page offering an Ego Power+ 765 CFM blower for $11.52. The page displays product photos, short specifications, and multiple static trust logos such as Norton, McAfee, and TRUSTe. None of these graphics link to any verification services. Their presence is intended to lower suspicion as the visitor continues.
The checkout page is hosted on savingsyoucantbeat.com, a site with no connection to Ace Hardware or Ego. The form collects full contact information including name, phone number, email address, billing address, city, state, ZIP code, and payment card details. Although the page appears to offer a simple one time promotional purchase, its legal text directs users to terms on accessthisbook.com and elitefitnessapp.com. Both domains were registered in April 2025 through NameCheap and include policies describing subscription memberships, recurring charges, arbitration clauses, and broad data processing permissions.
None of these sites are associated with legitimate retail operations. Their presence makes clear that the blower offer is not a genuine purchase, but a subscription trap crafted to capture payment information and enroll victims in recurring billing programs under unrelated brand names.
Additional indicators reinforce the fraudulent nature of the scheme. The email’s unsubscribe links direct users to unrelated tracking pages instead of any real opt out mechanism. The physical address listed in the footer, 6101 Long Prairie Rd Ste 744 number 511 in Flower Mound Texas, is a rented mailbox often referenced in spam campaigns. The redirect chains, cloned survey pages, fabricated trust seals, and use of unrelated domains match patterns commonly seen in retail impersonation scams documented in our cybersecurity coverage.
This arrangement creates a streamlined pipeline for harvesting personal and financial data. The email relies on spoofed sender information. The survey borrows familiar branding to reduce friction. The reward page presents a low price to encourage fast checkout. Each individual step is simple, but together they form an effective data collection process built on brand impersonation.
Ace Hardware does not run promotions that require customers to complete surveys to receive power tools, and it does not process orders through savingsyoucantbeat.com, accessthisbook.com, or elitefitnessapp.com. Any message offering a free Ego Power+ blower in exchange for a small fee should be treated as fraudulent.
A scam built around familiar branding, rotating sender domains, and a low cost reward can look believable at first glance. Each layer of this operation shows that the goal is to capture payment data, not provide any real promotion. Anyone who receives a message advertising discounted power tools in exchange for a quick survey should avoid entering personal or financial information.
