In an era where online scams and computer hacking are relatively common, it can sometimes be difficult for users to differentiate between genuine and falsified offers from retailers. And with fraudsters becoming more and more inventive in their schemes, the battle to preserve online privacy has never been more challenging.
Shoppers are being warned about a series of phishing emails which appear to be from Asda, claiming that the recipient has won a free gift card valued anywhere between £50 and £1,000. However, Asda have not launched such a campaign, and believe that the scam may be a method used by the fraudsters behind it to collect the personal information of the store’s customers.
Upon opening the email, consumers are told that they have been awarded a gift voucher and are re-directed to a page where they must fill in information such as their name, address, date of birth, email address and phone number. The website then informs the user that they will be entered into a draw, with the top prize being a year’s free shopping at Asda stores or on the home delivery website.
While consumers are not asked to enter card details, thus negating the possibility of direct credit card fraud, personal information can be used in a number of different ways. The recipient of the personal information, for example, may sell on that data to third parties as a way of mass advertising – thus breaching Data Protection laws and ensuring that email inboxes and phones receive a high number of spam emails and cold calls.
An Asda spokesman confirmed that the emails were, in fact, a scam and any consumers in doubt about the legitimacy of these, or similar, emails may contact the customer services department to verify authenticity. He reinforced the fact that anyone receiving this type of email should not click on the link, as this could transmit a virus or leave consumers open to further fraudulent schemes.
Asda attempted to further spread the warning over the email scam by posting a message to customers on its Facebook page.
It said; “Do not respond to emails claiming to be from Asda with the subject ‘You have received a gift card from us.’
“These emails are nothing to do with us and may be an attempt to capture your personal information.
“Please warn your friends.”
Earlier this year, a similar scam targeted the customers of online retailer Ticketweb, this time aiming to gain access to the credit card details of the site’s users. Customers were sent an email containing a link, which supposedly allowed them to update their personal information. Ticketweb, which is a subsidiary of web giants Ticketmaster, apologised to its users for the hacking problem and issued warnings against future scams.
The UK Cards Association released figures earlier this week showing that online banking fraud has risen by a quarter in the first half of 2012 alone. This is largely due to criminal gangs using phishing emails and hacking into personal accounts as a means of siphoning cash from families in the UK.
In fact, the total amount of cash stolen from UK bank accounts between January and June of this year by way of internet scams climbed to £21.6 million; an increase of 28 per cent when compared with the same period last year.
Have you ever been taken in by an online scam of a similar type to the current Asda vouchers scheme? How do you go about protecting your personal information and bank account online, and do you think that more needs to be done to inform web users of online safety by major companies?
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