Woolworths scam: Customers warned of emails offering gift cards
A warning has been issued over a fake Woolworths email claiming to hold a customer survey.
The email, which is sent from WoolworthsSurvey, says it is giving out “a limited number of Woolworths Gift Cards”. It includes a link to a purported one-minute survey, which the recipient is asked to complete.
Woolworths confirmed the email is a scam and said it has been reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch.
“Please note, that Woolworths will never email, message, or call you to ask for your personal or financial information including your password, credit card details or account information,” the supermarket giant said on its Scam Alerts page.
“Our correspondence will prompt customers to log-in to their Woolworths account if we require you to update your personal information.”
In June, the supermarket issued a warning over a fake Facebook page named “Woolworths Fans” which promoted giveaways of “free groceries” in exchange for shares and likes. “We have contacted Facebook to ask for the page to be taken down promptly,” Woolworths told Yahoo News Australia at the time.
Monday marks the beginning of this year’s National Scams Awareness Week. ACCC said Australians are expected to lose more than $532 million to scams by the end of 2019, exceeding half a billion dollars for the first time.
“Many people are confident they would never fall for a scam but often it’s this sense of confidence that scammers target,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.
“Scammers are professional businesses dedicated to ripping us off. They have call centres with convincing scripts, staff training programs, and corporate performance indicators their ‘employees’ need to meet.”
Rickard advised being wary of anyone who made a contact out of the blue to solicit personal or banking details. “Remember, anyone could fall victim and no one is ‘too smart to be scammed’. Always ask yourself, ‘could this be a scam?’ and if you’re ever in doubt, decline the contact or hang up the phone – it’s often the safest option.”