WhatsApp users are being warned about a new scam that promises a ‘fridge full of Guinness’ for Father’s Day, for people who hand over their personal details.
The competition appears with the caption “Uncover the hidden prize in Guinness Father’s Day giveaway” next to a photo of a fridge. Those who click on the link are then asked to fill out a quiz and choose from a number of boxes to find the "golden ticket". They are then told they have won and to share the link with 20 friends or five WhatsApp groups in order to claim the prize.
Diageo, maker of Guinness, confirmed that these messages are not legitimate and did not come from them.
A spokesman told Daily Mail: “This is not a Guinness competition and appears to be a scam.
“We would advise anyone who has received this message to not open the link and delete it immediately.”
A WhatsApp user in London was tricked by the scam and told Daily Mail he “felt guilty” about forwarding the link to his friends, therefore putting them at risk of having their details stolen too.
“I got sent the link this morning before going on it and seeing it was a quiz. I always like a quiz - especially about Guinness - so I filled it in.
“I then had three goes to click on the boxes to find the golden ticket. After I clicked on the second, it said I had won the prize and I had to share the link with five groups to claim it.
“At that point, I was wondering if I even wanted the fridge because I don’t have space for one, but despite that, I still shared it on.
“Then when I went back onto the website it said I had only done 30 per cent of what I had to do. I thought that was weird so I started to question it a bit more - particularly as it was asking my address.”
The scam is similar to a Heineken scam last year offering users the chance to “win” cans of Heineken.
Around nine in ten online adults in the UK (87 per cent) have come across content they suspected to be a scam or fraud, according to Ofcom.
