Dyson fans warned about dangerous vacuum cleaner scam sweeping the UK

870

A number of UK residents have started to receive emails claiming to be from well-known high street stores, like Currys PC World, congratulating them on winning a Dyson vacuum cleaner. If you’ve recently bought something from Currys PC World – or simply logged onto their site to check out the latest Bank Holiday deals – there’s a good chance you might assume this prize draw is the real deal. The email includes a prominent “Get Started” button that supposedly takes you through the process to redeem the prize.

Unfortunately, it’s all a scam.

Currys PC World isn’t dishing out free Dyson vacuum cleaners at the moment. The email has been crafted to try to steal your bank details. To do that, the fraudulent Currys PC World giveaway team ask for a small £1 charge to cover the cost of delivery of your prize. If you input your credit or debit card details, this information is passed directly to the cyber crooks behind the email scam – enabling them to start their own shopping spree behind your back.

“You are the lucky online winner of a brand new Sweepstakes Dyson Vacuum entry for FREE! It will only take a minute to receive this fantastic prize,” one example of the scam email promises.

MORE LIKE THIS
DHL, Hermes and other parcel delivery text scams are on the rise

A few variations of this scam are currently circulating in the UK, with some versions promising a free MacBook Pro or Nespresso Coffee Machine as the prize. Needless to say, all of these are fake and are designed to use the same £1 delivery charge to get access to your bank details.

Speaking about the recent email, Ray Walsh, a digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy, told Express.co.uk, “Consumers in the UK need to be on the lookout for unexpected emails from Currys PC World to avoid being scammed by a bogus competition. The email looks genuine and includes all the official logos and lettering you would expect to see from the electrical giant.

“If you follow the Get Started link to claim sought after rewards such as a Dyson vacuum cleaner or a Nespresso coffee machine – you will be asked to fill in a questionnaire. This will allow hackers to steal your information for identity theft purposes and further phishing campaigns. Some versions of the phishing email have been forwarding the recipient to a page that asks for a £1 delivery fee to post the prize. If payment details are provided, the victim will be providing their address and banking details to criminals.

“While this is a sophisticated phishing scam that successfully impersonates the popular brand, there are some clues that it is not legit. If you look carefully you will see that the emails are coming from CurrysPCWorld@gmail.com and not an official corporate email account. As is always the case, if something appears to be too good to be true then it is probably a scam.”

If you’re reading this article a little too late and you’ve fallen for one of these growing number of email scams, you need to act fast.

First up, report the scam to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040. If you’ve entered your payment details into a website or online form that you believe was set-up by hackers, you should contact your bank to flag the mistake. This ensures they will be on high alert for any potential fraud. It also means they can provide you with a new card if they believe the details are already compromised.

Published at Mon, 03 May 2021 11:01:00 +0000

Dyson fans warned about dangerous vacuum cleaner scam sweeping the UK

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here