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BE AWARE
Asda issues urgent warning to ALL shoppers over ‘free’ £250 voucher offer – and millions could be at risk
The messages carry different formats, so it's important you do not click on them
ASDA have warned customers of a "voucher" scam that is sweeping social media this weekend.
Facebook is currently inundated with bots promising £250 to "children enrolled in school" and a deadline to "apply".
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The Sun raised the alarm after spotting how the dubious posts link to a dangerous website, which could put Brits at risk of being scammed.
An Asda spokesperson said the bargain grocer is offering no such voucher and the messages must not be clicked on.
They told The Sun: “It has been brought to our attention that there are a number of scam posts on social media advertising Asda vouchers.
"These un-associated posts have been reported to Facebook and we are working hard to have them removed.
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"We encourage all customers to be careful before entering anything online that isn’t connected to an official Asda account or an official Asda website.”
The bots appear to be targeting local area groups, buying & selling pages, and even rental advice communities.
Have you fallen victim to a scam like this? We pay for stories! Get in touch: tom.hussey@thesun.co.uk
An example of the posts read: "Children Enrolled in School Receive £250.00 from ASDA."
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They then state a "deadline" date, which appears to differ between each post.
We also saw the scam take other forms, including "ASDA £250 payments have started!", again with a link in the comment section to a dodgy site.
The Sun also saw images purporting to show a "£250 voucher", which is totally fake.
How to protect yourself from scams
Some eagle-eyed Facebook users have commented under the spam posts, warning others not to click.
But millions could be at risk if they follow the links.
Asda and Facebook do not know who is behind the bot barrage, which was still flooding Facebook on Sunday afternoon.
A spokesperson for Meta, who own Facebook, told The Sun: “We don’t want anyone to fall victim to fraud which is why our platforms have systems in place to help us detect and enforce against scams.
"And we run consumer awareness campaigns on how to spot fraudulent behaviour.”
CYBER DANGERS
There are a number of ways you can protect yourself from being the victim of cyber crime.
- Regularly change your password - and never use the same one for multiple accounts.
- Always watch out for 'phishing emails' which pretend to be someone they're not. Peculiar spelling, strange formatting or an unusual email address are usually tell tale signs.
- Never give out, send or transfer your bank, personal or property details to anyone online.
- If something seems too good to be true, it probably is... so don't click on it.
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