Warning over fake £85 Aldi vouchers that could hand your details to scammers
The fake voucher first cropped up two years ago but it is doing the rounds again on social media
SHOPPERS are being urged to avoid a fake £85 Aldi voucher being shared on Facebook and Twitter as it could allow fraudsters to steal personal information.
The voucher first cropped up two years ago but it is doing the rounds again on social media.
The coupons appear to offer shoppers £85 off their next grocery shop and asks customer's to fill in a form to claim the discount.
Clicking on the link directs shoppers to a survey page, which asks for personal information such as your name, address and date of birth.
You are then encouraged to share the post on your own social media pages.
This then spams all of your friends with the same offer and the vicious cycle continues.
Some victims have even unknowingly drawn their friends directly to the bogus offer by tagging them in the post.
How to protect yourself from scams
BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam:
- 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.
Aldi has warned customers not to share any personal details as it is a fraudulent offer.
The supermarket said on Twitter: "We can confirm that this is not an official Aldi voucher.
"It is a fraudulent offer that cannot be redeemed in our stores, and we strongly advise that you do not complete any personal details.
"Please rest assured that this is currently being fully investigated."
It's not the first time that Aldi has warned shoppers about this scam - The Sun first wrote about it in October two years ago and the supermarket then warned customers again in March and July this year.
In a separate scam, Aldi Ireland yesterday also warned Irish shoppers not to fall for a €125 Aldi voucher offer circulating through messaging services including WhatsApp as it is a hoax.
In the past, similar scams have hoodwinked unsuspecting shoppers at Sainsbury's, Tesco and Primark.
In August, scammers were also trying to trick Morrisons shoppers into parting with their personal details by offering them £150 vouchers on WhatsApp.
A few months ago, The Sun revealed that hundreds of Brits had been scammed out of thousands of pounds in a shocking charity scam.
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