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A new scam affecting WhatsApp users is targeting unsuspecting users with the promise of a hundred pounds worth of Sainsbury’s vouchers.
A message is sent to the victim from one of their contacts, luring them to click on a seemingly genuine link to claim a free £100 giftcard to spend at the supermarket.
https://twitter.com/nelsonjackie48/status/789824325033525248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The message, which contains spelling and grammatical errors, reads: “Hey, have you heard about this? Sainburys its giving away £100 gift cards.”
The gift card giveaway is being offered under the guise of the supermarket’s promotion, having recently expanded its branch locations. It’s likely anyone who has sent the message has had their account hacked.
Sainsbury’s deny such an offer is available, advising Whatsapp is not a platform in which it communicates and urged those who have received the message to delete it.
@nelsonjackie48 Hi, this isn’t an official Sainsbury’s communication and you should ignore/delete it without replying. Thanks, Jackie.
— Sainsbury’s (@sainsburys) October 22, 2016
IT security expert Leon Pinkney, a SOC services director at Redscan, advised users to act with caution to any link sent over social media, adding if the offer sounds too good to be true then it most likely is.
He said:”The targeting of social media is a common tactic used by criminals to lure unsuspecting users into capturing personal information or installing harmful malware that purports to remove made-up threats.
“Scams targeting communication tools like WhatsApp can be widely effective as users have a tendency to be less security conscious when using instant tools like this. Online criminals know that devices like smartphones and tablets show less on-screen information about the sender and purposely optimise their messages to be as tempting as possible.
“All users should exercise caution before clicking on links contained in messages received from unknown senders. If any doubts exist, an online search can quickly identify the validity of an offer. If a message sounds too good to be true then it usually is!”
