Peppa Pig World warns parents of new WhatsApp scam that offers five free passes
The fake offer is luring parents into handing over their personal details by giving them a chance to grab press passes to the park
PAULTONS theme park - home of Peppa Pig World - has warned parents of a new scam circulating on WhatsApp that offers claimants free tickets to the park.
The fake offer is luring potential visitors into handing over their personal details by giving them a chance to grab five press passes.
Clicking on it directs users to an online survey designed to steal their personal information like their bank details.
The company warned WhatsApp users in a message on Twitter. It comes after many schools broke up for the summer holiday this week.
Paultons Park said: "We have been advised that a message offering 5 free passes to 500 families to Paultons is being shared on WhatsApp.
"Please note this is not a genuine offer and is not associated with Paultons Park.
"We advise that you do not click the link or share the message. PP."
It's not the first time scammers have used the messaging app to trick people into handing over their details by tempting them with spoof offers.
Earlier this year, WhatsApp was used to send fake vouchers to people, appearing to be from trusted chains such as Asda, Tesco and Aldi.
But when they clicked on the provided download link, they were directed to a website riddled with malicious software.
More about the latest scams
Just last week, Alton Towers issued a similar warning, after a fake giveaway offering free tickets to the theme park spread on WhatsApp, with users complaining of receiving a torrent of spam messages with links to a malicious website.
Another spin on the same scam features the Alton Towers resort logo with a button beneath it that shows how many free tickets are remaining.
Like other WhatsApp scam messages, it's full of grammatical errors: a dead giveaway that something dodgy is at play.
How to spot a WhatsApp scam message
HERE are some tips to watch out for:
- It includes misspellings or grammatical mistakes
- It asks you to tap on a link
- It asks you to share your personal information (like credit card and bank account numbers, birthdate, passwords, etc.)
- It asks you to forward the message
- It asks you to click on a link to “activate” a new feature
- It says that you have to pay to use WhatsApp (WhatsApp is a free app. We will never ask you to pay to use WhatsApp and you do not have to do anything to use WhatsApp for free.)
"We're giving 5 free passes to 500 families to celebrate our 110nd birthday!" reads the text below the image.
Clicking on it directs users to an online survey and encourages them to send it on to 20 of their friends.
Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, suggests anyone who has fallen victim to this scam or call 0300 123 2040.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 78 24516. Don't forget to join the for the latest bargains and money-saving advice.