Facebook fraudsters are luring unsuspecting users with fake deals for Lidl’s highly sought-after ‘mystery boxes,’ which sold-out in summer and don’t actually exist.
Lidl launched its limited edition boxes filled with products from its middle aisles – featuring a range of home, garden and leisure items – earlier this year, which were said to contain products worth £100 for only a fraction of the price.
Now scammers are posting links on Facebook, giving people the chance to order the mystery boxes from a website which is designed to look exactly the same as Lidl’s home page.
After clicking the link, you are prompted to enter card details to pay for the box, which allows criminals to set up continuous payments from your account.
Victims told Which? that they became suspicious when they were not sent an order confirmation.
The mystery boxes never arrived, and victims only discovered the scam after noticing unauthorised withdrawals from their bank accounts.
One woman lost £99 within minutes of entering her card details onto the website and was outraged to find that another £88 payment was also taken two weeks later.
What makes this scam so believable is that they are often shared from ‘real’ looking Facebook accounts.
A spokeswoman for Which? said: “Because it looks like the post is from a real person, the information shared might seem authentic.
“It can make an opinion, advice or tip seem more believable or persuasive than any advert.
“Often scammers will use other fake profiles to like and share the account, adding to the post’s credibility and spreading it to an even wider audience of potential victims.”
To avoid being duped by similar scams, always check if the URL is an official company domain and be cautious of any links using URL shorteners such as tinyurl.com.
You should also check to see whether the retailer has made any announcements about the offer on their verified social media pages.
Have you lost money to a scam? Contact National Fraud Helpline. Call 0333 0033218 or fill out our Claim Form.