SHOPPERS have been warned to watch out for a new scam pretending to offer a free air-fryer from Argos.
Cyber fraudsters are luring victims in with a Ninja Air Fryer giveaway simply by completing a survey.
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The email may appear convincing, with the Argos logo used across it.
“Congratulations! We would like to offer you a unique opportunity to receive a brand new Ninja Air Fryer!” the fake giveaway reads.
“To claim, simply take this short survey about your experience with us.”
The email features a timer, which is a classic tactic used by online criminals to trick you into making rash decisions.
Once you complete the survey, it asks for the person’s card payment details to claim the free item.
This should be an instant red flag.
Other alarming signs include the email address.
In this case, it’s not using an official Argos domain – argos.co.uk – nor one of its owner Sainsbury’s.
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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 bank details without necessarily double-checking the legitimacy of the offer, and this is what we can see in the Argos scam.
“With the recent Currys scam and now the scam moving onto other retailers including Argos, 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 [email protected].”
An Argos spokesperson said: “We are aware of this phishing scam and are working hard to take these sites down.
“These emails are not from Argos, we advise customers to delete and report them to us.
“We work hard to protect our customers and encourage them to be mindful of this type of scam, which often use household brand names.”
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
