Primark shoppers warned over fake £100 discount voucher scam on Facebook
A post is being widely circulated on Facebook promising free Primark vouchers to those who click on a link
PRIMARK fans are being warned about a fake £100 discount voucher that is being shared on Facebook.
The online voucher urges social media users to click its "instructions for use" link, but people who click the link could open themselves up to having personal information stolen by fraudsters.
The scam was first reported back in January by , but it has been doing the rounds on social media this week.
The website found that the link in the scam voucher opens a window that asks you to complete a survey about your Primark shopping habits.
Next, you will be told that you must first share the material on Facebook and then post a direct link to the scam website to 15 of your Facebook friends.
But, even if you comply with this request, you will still not get to claim the promised voucher, Hoax Slayer found.
It said: "The post is not associated with Primark in any way and the voucher is completely bogus."
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The scammers who create the bogus promotions will earn commissions through affiliate marketing schemes, who may then inundate you with unwanted promotional emails, phone calls and junk mail.
The scam mirrors a number of other voucher schemes that try to get people to click on dodgy links.
Late last year, scammers posing as supermarket giants Lidl and Aldi posted a fake voucher offering £85 for free.
Excited at the prospect of saving some cash, Facebook users shared the fake offer in their droves, but unfortunately, the to-good-to-be true deal was all an elaborate online scheme.
Similar fake vouchers for Tesco and Waitrose have also appeared on social media as recently as last week.
How to protect yourself from scams
FIRSTLY, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
Check brands are "verified" on Facebook and Twitter pages - this means the company will have a blue tick on their profile.
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.
Tony Neate, CEO of Get Safe Online, said: “If you’re uncertain if a post of this type is legitimate, never input your personal details to unlock an offer.
“Remember you should have more than one password, so that if one is compromised the others are secure.
“If in doubt, you can also do your own detective work by searching for the offer on the shop’s site first, or take a look at the advice on the website.”
A Primark spokesperson told The Sun Online: “We are aware that some fake adverts have been circulated on social media.
"We advise all our customers to ignore these posts and not to submit any personal information.”
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