WhatsApp users targeted by a scam offering fake £100 voucher – how to protect yourself

WHATSAPP users are being warned to delete scam messages masquerading as high street voucher deals worth up to £100.

According to Action Fraud, the scam comes in the form of a WhatsApp message purportedly from one of the victim’s contacts.

The message encourages the recipient to click on a link in order to receive free vouchers for stores such as Sainsbury’s or TopShop.

One example message reads: “Hey have you heard about this? Sainsbury’s is giving away £100 gift cards. They are expanding their store network and they launched this promotion. Grab a gift card while it lasts. I got mine already.”

But in reality, the sender isn’t really one of your contacts and has nothing to do with the retailer in question. The vouchers don’t exist and the message is designed to tempt you into clicking on a URL that will take you to a website designed to trick you into handing over personal information.

Comparitech.com security researcher Lee Munson says WhatsApp users will have no idea which website the link will be taking them to.

“Will the site you land on collect your personal information, install invasive cookies on your machine, add an annoying extension to your browser so it can pepper you with advertising in the future? Or will it be old-school and just infect you with a virus or some other nasty type of malware? The thing is, you just don’t know,” he said.

The WhatsApp messages are the latest in a long line of scams that promise a giveaway from a well-known retailer but are really phishing attempts by scammers.

As well as the popular messaging app, social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram are
increasingly being used by scammers to try and fool people with bogus offers. Once they have your details, scammers either sell them on to third parties or use them to steal your identity.

Recent scams on Facebook include a £250 Next voucher giveaway and a £85 Aldi voucher.

The official Aldi Facebook page published a post explaining the budget supermarket was aware of the hoax, and warning the fake voucher couldn’t be redeemed in Aldi stores.

Mark James, security specialist at ESET, says these scams have been around for a while and show no sign of slowing.

“There tends to be a high degree of success, if they never worked they would not still be doing the rounds which proves that generally we are not learning and continuing to fall foul of these types of attacks,” he said.

Tesco customers are also being targeted by scammers but this scam works slightly differently. Victims receive an email offering £500 worth of Tesco vouchers if they supply their mobile phone number and then complete a survey on their phone. But those who take part find they have been signed up to a premium-rate text service costing £4.50 a go.

How can you protect your data and report scams

Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.

If you like to interact with brands on social media, check they are “verified”. On Facebook and Twitter pages, this means the company will have a blue tick on their profile. As a general rule, verified status means the account should be legitimate.

Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.

If you’re invited to click on an URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?

To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.

Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.

If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it.

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