SHOPPERS are being warned about a new text scam that pretends to be a delivery notice from Asda or Morrisons.
One of the phoney messages says: “your Asda order is out for delivery” and encourages recipients to enter personal details leaving them open to fraud.
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Another similar message references an order from Morrisons.
The link in the texts takes you to a webpage supposedly allowing you to “track your order and view your delivery note.”
And scammers use this to obtain personal details from you which could put your finances at risk, warns the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.
Katherine Hart, a Lead Officer at CTSI, said: “Scammers are sending these texts to phone numbers on the off chance that the recipient has placed an order with the particular supermarket.
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“The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a greater reliance on home shopping deliveries making the public more open to falling for this scam than ever before. “
But these types of scams aren’t just limited to Asda or Morrisons as you may receive messages quoting the names of other major supermarket chains as well.
And similar scam campaigns like a Royal Mail delivery scam, as well as a National Insurance number scam have targeted the public recently too.
Asda has said they are aware of the scam and a spokesperson said: “We will never ask for any personal information through text messages, and any SMS communication from us does not come from a mobile number.
How to protect yourself from scams
BY keeping these tips in mind, you can avoid getting caught up in a scam:
- Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
- Check brands are “verified” on Facebook and Twitter pages – this means the company will have a blue tick on its profile.
- Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English. If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
- If you’re invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
- To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
- Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
- If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company, block the sender and delete it.
- If you think you’ve fallen for a scam, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use its online fraud reporting tool.
“We would like to remind our customers that they should never click on suspicious links, but if anyone is unsure about any communication claiming to be from Asda, please contact our customer services team.”
Brits are advised to contact the supermarket the text supposedly came from, especially if you shop with them, to verify if it’s real or a scam.
Also, you can forward any scam texts to 7726, which is a free reporting service run by Ofcom.
You can report scams with Action Fraud if you’re in England, or if you’re in Scotland, contact Police Scotland.
And you can also call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 if you want to report anything suspicious that might come through on your phone.
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EE, Vodafone, Three and O2 are also warning customers about a new text message scam which pretends to be from delivery firm DHL and instals a form of malware onto your phone.
And it’s not just fake deliveries the scammers are promoting, as Brits are warned about phoney text message scams quoting bank transfers that could steal your personal details and cash too.
And consumers are being warned about crooks pretending to be Martin Lewis and his site MoneySavingExpert to steal your data and cash.
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