Supermarket shoppers are being warned about a text scam circulating in the UK.
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has seen texts that contain messages that an Asda or Morrisons order is out for delivery and links to a webpage supposedly allowing the recipient to track their order and view a delivery note.
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.
Scammers use the links to obtain personal details from the recipient, putting their finances at risk, the CTSI warned.
The scam is similar to the Royal Mail delivery scam, which sees fraudsters try to steal bank details by sending a fake text.
CTSI lead officer Katherine Hart said: “Scammers are sending these texts to phone numbers on the off chance that the recipient has placed an order with the particular supermarket.
“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.
“The public should be aware that these campaigns are not limited to the Asda or Morrisons brands, and they may receive messages quoting the names of other major supermarket chains.”
People who get a suspicious text should contact the supermarket, if they shop with them, to verify it.
Scam texts should be forwarded to 7726, a free reporting service run by Ofcom.
An Asda spokesman said: “We are aware of a string of scams that are being sent to customers impersonating various different brands, including Asda, through SMS messages.
“We will never ask for any personal information through text messages, and any SMS communication from us does not come from a mobile number.
“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.”
People are encouraged to report scams to Action Fraud, or for email scams contact the National Cyber Security Centre by emailing report@phishing.gov.uk.
- Have you been the victim of a scam? Let us know in the comments.
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