Beware of this Guinness Father’s Day giveaway scam
Scammers are seeking to exploit people ahead of Father’s Day with a fake Guinness ‘giveaway’ on WhatsApp.
This scam involves dodgy messages that offer the chance to ‘win one of 750 Guinness mini fridges’. Last year, we reported on similar Father’s Day scams targeting B&Q, Heineken and Screwfix.
Read on to learn more about how the scam works.
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Guinness mini fridge WhatsApp scam
If you receive a message from one of your contacts on WhatsApp advertising a Guinness giveaway, don’t click on the link.
If you do so, you’ll be taken to a dodgy website containing fake Guinness branding. When we investigated the site, we found that it was registered in Iceland.
The site informs you that you need to take a quiz to win a mini fridge and states that there are a limited number of prizes available. This a classic tactic used by scammers to rush potential victims.
Once you’ve completed the quiz, you’ll be asked for your payment details to pay for the delivery of the mini fridge. If you enter your details, you’ll be giving them to scammers.
Importantly, the website asks you to share the ‘competition’ with your contacts on WhatsApp. This means the scam can spread very quickly as well-meaning friends and family members pass it along.
How to report WhatsApp scams
Unexpected WhatsApp messages should always be treated it with caution. Fraudsters regularly seek to exploit the messaging service to get you to click dodgy links or lure you into scams.
If you receive a message like the above from one of your contacts, contact them on another platform to inform them that it's a scam. If they’ve already given away their financial details, tell them to inform their bank immediately and report the crime to Action Fraud.
You can report dodgy WhatsApp messages by selecting them in your conversation list and tapping ‘report’. To report a sender on WhatsApp, open up the chat, tap on the sender's contact details and select 'Block and Report'.
