SDC Rewards Member
Upgrade yours now
.png){kind=icon}
BEWARE: Aldi shoppers urged to be wary of new LG television scam
Even in the midst of an economic crisis, several heartless fraudsters are only coming up with more ways to manipulate and steal from innocent Facebook users. Recently, Aldi shoppers have been warned of yet another ‘convincing’ supermarket scam making the rounds on social media.
It’s disguised as a Facebook post, telling users that they can pick up a free LG television by following a few, simple steps. The post includes images of the big screen TVs stored in a warehouse, as well as one showing employees of the supermarket standing in front of a store.
To make sense of the bargain, the post claimed that the TVs were damaged during transit. However, none of the information written was true.
“Hundreds of TVs from Aldi broke slightly on their way to our warehouse. All of these televisions are still fully functional but may have minor dents or scratches,” the scam post read.
“Rather than throwing it away, we thought of giving it to people who shared and commented before June 15th. We have four pallets, and the shipment will be delivered the next day.”
The fake Facebook post. Image Credit: 7News
Since the post launched on a fake Facebook page, thousands have fallen victim to the scam. It amassed over 7,000 comments and shares, with more than 2,000 requests from users asking if they could have a shot at getting one of the products for free.
“My mum would love one of these as she is a pensioner,” wrote one.
“What a wonderful thing ALDI is doing. Very thoughtful in this terrible time of everything getting so expensive and no money left for buying ‘luxury items’. Great work, ALDI,” chimed another.
“What a wonderful way to give shoppers a special treat in these hard times,” added a third.
Whenever a user expresses their interest in the comments, the administrators of the fake ALDI page direct them to a website where they are then asked to provide sensitive and personal details.
However, others had a hunch that something was off about the post.
“This is a scam. Granted it’s a sophisticated and very convincing scam - but it’s still a scam,” one announced.
Another asked: “Companies would send the damaged in transit back to the manufacturer to get a full refund, so why would they lose money selling them off cheap?”
“ALDI sells Bauhn brand televisions, people! Their warehouses don’t look like that and they use blue or red pallets for their stock,” pointed out a third.
Beware of scammers! Image Credit: WFLA
The ACCC’s Scamwatch revealed that phishing scams, such as this fake ALDI post, work by manipulating consumers into believing that they’re dealing with a genuine retailer.
“Phishing messages are designed to look genuine, and often copy the format used by the organisation the scammer is pretending to represent, including their branding and logo,” it said.
“They will take you to a fake website that looks like the real deal but has a slightly different address. For example, if the legitimate site is ‘www.realbank.com.au’, the scammer may use an address like ‘www.reallbank.com’.”
“If you provide the scammer with your details online or over the phone, they will use them to carry out fraudulent activities, such as using your credit cards and stealing your money.”
There are several ways you can protect yourself from getting scammed. Among those is by staying aware of the recent scams popping up and being equipped with the knowledge and precautions to take in order to combat them efficiently. We also have a nifty e-Book about Cyber Safety that you can check out here.
If you ever encounter a dodgy post online, you can report them to ACCC here.
Stay safe, everyone! What are your thoughts on this article? Share them with us in the comments.
Know what to look out for and outsmart the scammers by watching the video below:
Video Credit: ACCCgovau
