Tesco Bank customers warned about new fake voucher scam email that lets scammers steal their details
The phishing voucher scam is enticing customers with the promise of a free grocery shop at any of Tesco’s outlets
TESCO Bank customers are being urged to be vigilant after a fake email has been sent to lure shoppers into handing over their personal information.
The new phishing voucher scam – aimed at Tesco Savings Bank users – is enticing customers with the promise of a free grocery shop at any of Tesco’s outlets.
It then attempts to collect up their details – giving fraudsters access to their personal and financial information.
Worried shoppers took it to Twitter to ask Tesco if the offer was genuine.
One shopper said: “Seems legit… fyi @Tesco #phishing”
“@Tesco I’m assuming this is a phishing e-mail….? What say you..?,” another one tweeted.
“@Tesco – Annoying, Email Phishing Scam,” a customer said.
Action Fraud has since confirmed that the survey link will lead shoppers onto a malicious website and urged them not to share their details.
A spokesperson for Tesco Bank told the Sun Online that it has proactive measures in place to protect customers from phishing scams.
“To help customers identify phishing emails, we provide information on Tescobank.com and urge customers to be vigilant for emails that contain typos and to be wary of links that may appear suspicious,” Tesco added.
In its advices to customers on how to protect themselves, Tesco said that any links to Tesco Bank webpages will include tescobank.com in the address.
The bank also reminded customers that it would never ask them to login to their online banking via a link in an email or text messages. Tesco would also never ask shoppers for their full 6-digit Pin by phone or online
It is not the first time that the company has been targeted by a scam.
Last year, some unlucky people lost up to £1,500 in what the Financial Conduct Authority described as an “unprecedented” theft.
How to protect yourself from scams
FIRSTLY, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
- Check brands are “verifed” 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 adress 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
Tesco Bank, which has more than seven million customer accounts, said all customers affected at the time were fully reimbursed.
Consumer group Which? last month revealed which regions in the UK are most likely to be targeted by fraudsters.
The Sun Online has also previously written a guide about how to permanently get rid of spam and unwanted emails, texts and phone calls.
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