Confectionery giant Cadbury has warned its customers of a scam circulating on WhatsApp that offers consumers a free Easter chocolate basket.
Recipients of the message have posted images online showing an offer to claim a free Easter egg basket with a link attached.
However, Cadbury has confirmed the offer is “not genuine” and has stated that it is working to resolve the issue.
A tweet posted to the Cadbury UK Twitter account on 31 March read: “We’ve been made aware of circulating posts on social media claiming to offer consumers a free Easter Chocolate basket.
“We can confirm this hasn’t been generated by us & we urge consumers not to interact. Your security is our priority & we’re currently working to resolve this.”
Some responses from Twitter users revealed that they had received the text, while another claimed that their mother had fallen for the scam.
Merseyside Police has also issued a warning about the scam, urging people to avoid clicking on the link contained in the message as it was an attempt to “gain access to your personal details”.
In a post to Twitter the police force said: “There are a number of posts circulating on social media offering free Easter Chocolate baskets.
“We know it’s hard to turn down free chocolate, but please be aware that this is a scam designed to gain access to your personal details.”
The scam appears to be a phishing scam where criminals create messages that appear genuine in order to get a customer to click on the link to a fake website and input their details or see viruses installed on their device.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advises people to consider carefully before clicking any link they are sent, unsolicited, by an organisation, and encourages people to look for telltale signs including poor spelling or grammar, or a sense of urgency in the messaging to try to encourage a rash decision.
Additional reporting by PA
