A warning has been issued over scam emails offering free Smeg kettles to Currys customers.
The scam offers a free kettle if users take part in an online survey and then enter their card payment details to receive the item. The warning comes from secure card payments provider Dojo.
The experts say this fraud follows the same design and templates as a previous one they highlighted, where scammers impersonating Argos offered a free air fryer if the recipient filled out an online survey. These scams are starting to target consumers daily, with some people receiving the same email multiple times a week, according to Dojo.
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While the emails may look legitimate with branding, there are a number of red flags that consumers should be aware of. Firstly, the website address and email aren’t coming from Currys’ official domain, and the currency is in dollars.
There is also a timer that warns the offer will disappear, to add time pressure on victims to encourage them to fill out the survey and input personal details. Having acquired the stolen card details, scammers are then using them to make lavish online purchases, and empty bank accounts, causing a huge financial and psychological impact on victims.
Naveed Islam, chief information security officer at Dojo, said: "A key warning sign for a scam is to entice consumers with free items that are just too good to be true. Quite often, these offers will be time-limited to cause extra pressure on victims to enter their payment card or bank details without necessarily double-checking the legitimacy of the offer, and this is what we can see in this scam.
"With the scam impersonating well-known retailers like Currys, consumers should be extremely vigilant with any offers that they see in their inbox or on social media. If you have fallen victim to a scam, contact your bank immediately to suspend your card and account. Your bank or building society will then be able to provide specialist support from their scam unit.
"Ultimately, if you have any doubt about the authenticity of a text message or email, it’s probably a scam. Take a minute to think about the message; were you expecting it, have you checked for spelling mistakes and double-checked the sender's address? If the email address from the sender doesn’t look like it’s from a genuine address, don’t click on it.
"If you think it is a scam, you can forward the email as an attachment to Action Fraud who will investigate, or alternatively forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. You can also forward any suspicious SMS for free to 7726 and both services are provided by the UK government, for free."
A spokesperson from Currys said: "I can confirm that these phishing emails were not sent by us, and appear to be part of a fraudulent operation where criminals are using household brand names such as Currys, to defraud members of the public. We are doing all we can to try and stop these scams and would strongly urge members of the public to report any receipt of such emails to Action Fraud, as well as marking them as ‘phishing’ in your inbox.
"Additionally, we also recommend that any members of the public who are concerned by a ‘competition win’ email, text, or phone call, refer to Citizen’s Advice excellent resource for identifying scams. We have robust security measures in place and are continually monitoring our systems for third-party threats or data loss. We also provide all staff with regular training on data security, and would like to assure you we take the security of our customers’ data very seriously.
"Whilst this is largely out of our control, please accept our sincerest apologies for any potential inconvenience or harm caused. If customers are in any doubt about the veracity of an email they receive purporting to be from Currys, we recommend that they take extreme vigilance and get in touch with our customer services teams directly to check the email’s authenticity with a member of the Currys team."
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