Police are warning shoppers to remain extra vigilant, as scammers posing as Tesco and Morrisons are attempting to defraud innocent people.
A series of fake emails are being sent by scammers to shoppers in an attempt to steal personal information.According to KentLive, police say they are aware of a link to a scam website using the name ‘Morrison’s Super Market’ received through WhatsApp as a forwarded message.
The scam message reads: "Morrison’s is giving away free groceries worth £250 to support the nation during Corona pandemic. Hurry up! Collect your FREE voucher."
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: "It’s said to appear genuine and the link to the website provided was: http://morrisons.uk-groceries.store/#
"As you can see, the URL starts with just ‘HTTP’ which isn’t secure, always check you have HTTPS within your browser for the most secure way of browsing (this ‘S’ stands for secure).
"Always check the spelling is correct and look out for numbers used instead of letters and added symbols like the ‘#’ as this is a method used on fake sites to trick you."
The link is said to work as expected and looks like it is genuine. You are then asked to answer three initial questions and are then led to another web page asking to circulate this offer among friends using WhatsApp.
When going to share this message it leads to another page informing you that you can win an iPhone 11.
You’re then asked to pay £1 for handling charges and request your bank/credit card details to process the payment.
Cyber Crime Prevent and Protect Officer, Kirsty Jackson, said: “Criminals will use every opportunity they can to defraud innocent people. They will continue to exploit every angle of this national crisis and we want people to be prepared.
“We will be sharing scam advice where possible to try and get one step ahead of these criminals and we want to help the public protect themselves from these scams where possible. However, we will need the help of the public to share this as much as possible, including conversations with those less likely to see our alerts.
“We are not trying to scare people at a time when they are already anxious. We simply want people to be aware of the very simple steps they can take to protect themselves from handing over their money, or personal details, to criminals, please see below for our top tips and you can also refer to our website www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/cybercrime to complete our ‘online safety checklist’.”
"If you have entered personal details, you need to be extra vigilant. If you receive any suspicious emails or odd postal messaging going forward, ignore them – they could be from a scammer hoping you’ll fall for their next scam.
"Keep an eye on your credit report and bank accounts – scammers can use personal information to steal your identity and open new accounts or take out credit.
"Whatever form a message comes in, make sure you don’t give away any bank details or passwords."
Meanwhile emails offering free Tesco vouchers are also a scam, Action Fraud has advised.
The UK's National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre posted the warning on social media after receiving over 300 reports about fake emails claiming to be from Tesco.
The fake email contains a link to a genuine-looking phishing website that is designed to steal login credentials as well as personal and financial information.
It reads: "Dear Customer,
"TESCO is giving you a chance to shop for free this COVID-19 season at any of out outlets or online by giving out free vouchers.
"This offer is for All users and it will be on until the end of April 2020.
"To Qualify follow the link below and input all the details required.
"After validation, if selected your voucher will be sent via text message or posted to your Mailbox.
"Thanks for taking part, The Tesc0 team."
Action Fraud advises people not to click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails and to never respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial information.
In a message posted on Twitter, Action Fraud said: "ALERT: We've received several reports about these fake Tesco emails offering ‘free vouchers’ during the coronavirus outbreak.
"The link leads to a convincing-looking phishing website that is designed to steal your login, personal and financial information!"
