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Watch out for the Aldi £40 voucher scam on Facebook


Updated on 22 December 2015 | 0 Comments

Beware this fake money-off voucher doing the rounds on social media right now, as falling for it could cost you.

Aldi has confirmed that a voucher supposedly offering a 40% discount at its stores is a scam and is worthless.

The voucher

Here’s what the voucher looks like:

As you can see, though it looks genuine at first glance, there are some odd details like the American date format (12/31/2015) and Americanisms like ‘no rain checks’ which give it away as a fake.

The aim of the scam is to access shoppers’ personal details by redirecting them to another website where they can fill in a form.

These simple details can be used by the fraudsters behind the hoax to steal your identity and apply for things like loans and credit cards in your name.

[Related story: Make sure you don't fall for these 12 scams of Christmas]

What Aldi says

Aldi has used social media to alert shoppers of the scam.

On Facebook it wrote: “ALERT: We have been notified that there is a hoax 40% off Aldi voucher being circulated online. Please be aware that this post is fraudulent and cannot be redeemed in our stores.”

And using Twitter it warned shoppers not to share personal details on the hoax website.

What to do if you've been duped

If you spot this voucher online, don’t click on it or fill out any of your personal details.

But if you think you may have already fallen for it you should take steps to protect your accounts to ensure you don’t become a victim of ID theft.

Change your passwords and keep an eye on your credit file for any signs of suspicious activity.

Also keep tabs on your bank and credit card accounts for signs of fraud. If you see anything odd contact your bank or credit card provider.

How to avoid fake vouchers

Christmas brings out the bargain hunter in everybody and scammers are keen to take advantage of this.

Be on the lookout for tell-tale signs the voucher may be a fake like poor grammar, spelling mistakes and anything else that stands out.

If you aren’t sure if an offer is genuine, check official pages for the company or contact them directly on an official phone number to confirm the details.

Try to use your common sense too; if a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is.

More on scams and how to avoid them

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