Public warned of Asda and Morrisons text scams

PEOPLE in Scotland have been warned about a supermarket text scam which is circulating around the country.

Texts sent to mobiles include phrases such as "your Asda order is out for delivery" and link to websites supposedly allowing recipients to "track your order and view your delivery note".

However, the website URL is not an Asda address. Scammers are using the links to try to obtain people's personal financial details.

It has been reported that the scam also involves messages mimicking texts from Morrisons.

This is the latest delivery scam in recent weeks, with a number of consumers reporting text messages regarding deliveries, some of these containing links to download an app.

These "FluBot Android scams" by scammers use false claims of deliveries by carriers such as DHL to install malware on the mobile devices of the consumers being targeted.

Marjorie Gibson, head of operations with Advice Direct Scotland, which runs consumeradvice.scot, said: "Scammers have adapted to the coronavirus pandemic to prey on Scots, and with the rise in online supermarket shopping this latest scam is particularly concerning.

"It’s increasingly difficult to spot scams and there is absolutely no shame in being caught out, as the scammers’ tactics are very convincing.

"Supermarkets like Asda will never ask for personal information through text messages, and consumers should remember to never click on suspicious links.

"Anyone who receives a text like this should contact the supermarket for verification, and scams can be reported to us at scamwatch.scot so that we can compile data."

Scots can report scams to consumeradvice.scot, which is operated by Advice Direct Scotland and includes the ScamWatch reporting tool.

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