WhatsApp scam: Chain letters advertise fake sweepstakes
Created: 2022-08-04 12:57 p.m
By: Linus Prien
WhatsApp Download © IMAGO/Rüdiger Wölk
A new scam is making the rounds on WhatsApp.
In chain letters, users are asked to reveal their personal data for a fake competition.
Berlin – Two scams have been circulating on WhatsApp in the past few days.
On the one hand, it was about an alleged competition by the OBI hardware store.
On the other hand, it was a raffle campaign by Amazon.
These actions should encourage users to share their personal information.
These can then be used by scammers to buy expensive subscriptions or even deliver viruses to victims' devices.
WhatsApp scam: chain letter advertises alleged OBI sweepstakes
As the
Mimikama
portal revealed, messages are shared via WhatsApp claiming that OBI is giving away 5000 gas grills.
The scam is particularly dangerous because the message features a genuine OBI logo.
If you follow the link contained in the message, you will be taken to a website.
At first glance, this also looks like an official OBI page.
The user data should then be specified.
What is striking, however, is that the URL of the alleged sweepstakes ends in the Russian ".ru".
Furthermore, a spelling of the hardware store is used, which is not used on the official OBI website.
WhatsApp scam: Fake Amazon raffle - Users should share personal data
Another fake sweepstakes allegedly comes from Amazon.
This is also a scam.
Again supposedly 5000 products will be raffled.
They had previously been returned by other customers.
The message also includes a link to a Russian website asking people to share personal information.
With both this message and the OBI message, WhatsApp users are asked to send the message to 20 other numbers.
If you've received emails, it's best to just ignore them.
You can also warn others not to forward the messages and publish their information.
(LP)
