Supermarket shoppers warned of text scam circulating in UK.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) saw texts with messages indicating that an Asda or Morrisons order is pending delivery and links to a web page for the recipient to track their order and view a delivery slip. .
One of the fake messages reads: “Your Asda order is being delivered” and encourages recipients to enter personal information thus leaving them open to fraud.
Fraudsters use the links to obtain personal information from the recipient, putting their finances at risk, the CTSI warned.
The scam is similar to the Royal Mail delivery scam, which sees fraudsters attempting to steal bank details by sending fake text.
CTSI Senior Agent Katherine Hart said: “The crooks are sending these text messages to phone numbers in case the recipient has placed an order with the relevant supermarket.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has led to greater reliance on door-to-door deliveries, making the public more open than ever to fall for this scam.
Asda UK customers targeted by scam
“The public should be aware that these campaigns are not limited to Asda or Morrisons brands and may receive messages citing the names of other major supermarket chains.”
People who receive a suspicious text should contact the supermarket, if they buy with them, to verify it.
Fraudulent texts should be forwarded to 7726, a free reporting service operated by Ofcom.
A spokesperson for Asda said: “We are aware of a series of scams that are sent to customers posing as different brands, including Asda, via text message.
“We will never ask for any personal information via SMS, and any SMS communication from us is not from a cell phone number.
“We want to remind our customers that they should never click on suspicious links, but if anyone is unsure of a communication claiming to be from Asda, please contact our customer service.”
People are encouraged to report scams to Action Fraud, or for email scams, contact the National Cyber Security Center by sending an email to report@phishing.gov.uk.
- Have you been the victim of a scam? Let us know in the comments.
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-28 03:00:00