A warning has been issued to WhatsApp users over a scam message promising to give people the opportunity to win "free crates of beer" for Father's Day. The scam claims to be part of a so-called 'Heineken Beer Father’s Day Contest 2022', with "5,000 coolers full of Heineken beers" on offer.
The message is accompanied by a picture of an 18-pack cooler of Heineken and comes through on the app as though a contact has sent it. It also includes a link to click through to the beer company’s website to enter the competition. But upon opening up the link, users are instantly at risk of exposure to phishing scams, spam and malicious websites that could lead to the theft of their personal information.
Addressing news of the scam doing the rounds on WhatsApp, Heineken posted a message on Twitter, saying: “This is a scam. Thank you for highlighting it to us. Please don’t click on links or forward any messages. Many thanks.”
