Woolworths issues warning over $500 gift card scam
Woolworths has issued a warning after customers were targeted by a series of scams.
Several emails have been received by Woolworths customers claiming to be from the supermarket giant and requesting personal details.
“Please know that the email is a 'phishing' scam and not from us. It's actually a scammer who's attempting to trick people into giving out their personal and banking information,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.
“Please be mindful that we'd never ask our customers for their personal or banking details in unsolicited communications.”
There are currently several different scam emails that customers have encountered, all of which use Woolworths branding and appear to be genuinely from the retailer.
One of the sophisticated scams informs customers that they’ve been selected as a potential winner and have scored themselves a $500 gift card to spend in-store. It then asks the customer to confirm their personal details.
Another email appears as if it has been sent from the customer’s local Woolworths store and alarmingly contains the correct name, address, and suburb of the store.
Woolworths customers who have received the scam email have taken to the store’s Facebook page to warn others.
“I am constantly getting emails/messages to say that I have won various amounts of $ value credits for use in Woolworths stores,” one concerned customer wrote.
“I am 100% sure these are scam messages which I automatically delete. I think you should know about them to warn other customers.”
“Just got an email, went to junk. Is this a scam? The email called ‘2021 Special’. I’m deleting it,” another shopper said.
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The recent scam activity has prompted the retailer to place a warning to customers on their website, saying they would never ask for any personal details.
“Scammers have become more prolific with new scams popping up each day,” the statement reads.
“Customers are requested to remain alert and report anything that may look suspicious. If it sounds too good to be true it often is!”
This isn’t the first scam to hit Woolies customers
The new series of scams comes just months after the retail giant issued customers with a warning over a supermarket survey scam.
Shoppers were warned about giving away vital personal information in the dangerous email which claimed to contain a “surprise for Woolworth (sic) shoppers”.
The email said customers would be rewarded by the retailer if they completed a 30-second survey.
“It's actually a scammer who's attempting to trick people into giving out their personal and banking information,” a Woolies spokesperson said at the time.
The ACCC website says that phishing scammers often replicate a company’s email design and format in order to appear genuine including the branding and logo.
People can report scams through the ACCC's Scam Watch website.
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