If you get this WhatsApp message about Heineken giving away 5L barrels of beer do NOT click
Offer said to be in celebration of brewer's 140th anniversary but it's a phishing scam where fraudsters hope to harvest personal information
WHATSAPP users are being warned about a new phishing scam that sees them promised free Heineken.
A message, that is being widely circulated, claims the brewer is giving away five-litre barrels of beer to celebrate its 140th anniversary.
Those who receive it are urged to click on a link to enjoy the generous offer.
But they are then taken to fraudulent website before being encouraged to share their personal data in order to be in with a chance of winning further prizes.
Dyfed-Powys police shared a warning about it on Twitter.
Heineken said: “Please be advised there is currently a ‘Free Beer’ phishing scam circulating through social networks.
“The promotion states Heineken® is giving away free kegs in celebration of its 140th Anniversary, and encourages recipients to share the message.
“This is indeed a scam and is not sanctioned by Heineken.
“Promotions of this type will always be announced via official Heineken® channels.
“We do not advise consumers to click on the link, share personal data, or share the message within their networks.
“When in doubt, please contact the consumer service hotline in your market.
“Note that versions of the scam message may also circulate via Twitter and Facebook.
“If one of these messages comes your way, do not follow any links that it contains.”
It comes as Argos customers were warned over a similar Whatsapp scam offering cheap iPhones.
Fake messages that appear to be from the retailer say the shopper has a package waiting and advise clicking on a URL to check it out.
But the link redirects the user to a website purporting to offer discount mobiles in an attempt to gather personal details.
And, it follows a warning this week from bank Santander about a new "sophisticated" text scam which puts fake texts into genuine message threads.
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It has received reports from a number of customers receiving messages pretending to be from the bank - and is urging them not to be taken in.
The message says that "suspicious activity" has been detected on the potential victim's account and they need to follow a link on the message to prevent a "lockout".
But it's a scam - with the criminals using specialist software to alter the sender ID so that it appears to come from the bank, with the message inserted into a genuine message chain.
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