In the latest development, a Tesco free 4k TV scam has ripped off some UK shoppers.
A new email phishing scam has emerged, acting like it's from a top UK supermarket, Tesco. The scam is used to steal payment details and private information from its victims. The scam makes use of email and SMS communication, and a fake Facebook page to trick UK customers into handing over their information.
It started with a fake Facebook page, named ‘Tesco UK,' making use of official branding. The picture on the page looks like it is from Tesco's warehouse. This image displays packaged boxes of Samsung 55 inches Ultra High Definition televisions worth as high as £500.
Tesco Free 4k TV Scam
The caption of the post was, “We have around 500 TV's in our warehouse that are about to be binned as they have slight damage and can't be sold. However, all of them are in fully working condition, we thought instead of binning them we'd give them away free to 500 people who have shared and commented on this post by July 18th.”
People who didn't discover that it's a scam then shared that post, believing that they'd get the TV, thereby making the scam go viral. A supposed victim commented on the post saying, “I'd love to, thank you Tesco!,” and another asked if the offer is real.
A couple of hours after the Facebook post, people said that they received an email scam making use of Tesco branding and allowing them to ‘claim their price.'
The email goes thus:
“Hey [Victim's name]! Thank you for entering our competition to win a new TV. You've won, congratulations! Please click ‘Claim TV' to get your TV. We hope you enjoy it!”
The masked link in the email redirects people to a landing page to input their name, telephone number, home address, and bank account details.
It is reported that more than 100 users have claimed to be victims of this, either from the fake Facebook page or via email. Nonetheless, Tesco has always advised its customers to be wary of social media scams.
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