Warning as Father's Day Heineken beer scam spreading 'like wildfire' on Whatsapp

A warning is being shared by Whatsapp users about a scam competition offering people the chance to win a cooler of beer in time for Father's Day. Details of the apparently fake contest are said to be spreading "like wildfire" across groups and messages on the app.

It usually appears as a message on Whatsapp from a friend or contact in the form of a 'tinyurl' link. Accompanying the link is an image of an 18 bottle Heineken 'coolerpack' that comes with a phrase like 'Heineken Beer Father's Day Contest 2022', reports WalesOnline.

The headline with is reads "5,000 coolers full of Heineken for you Dad" along with written link to the beer giant's official website "heineken.com."

The scam alert website onlinethreatalerts.com, says the online fraud tricks potential victims into visiting phishing, spam, and malicious websites. These have the potential to steal personal information and account credentials.

Potential victims of the scam can be tricked into signing up for unwanted services. The site goes on to warn that people will be taken to one of these fraudulent websites if they click the link in the fake post.

The websites are being used in phishing and scamming campaigns which are setup by cybercriminals that actively lure unaware users into traps with the fake promise of vouchers.

The latest scam echoes a similar fake Heineken contest which circulated online in 2020. That competition promised people the chance to win "free kegs of Heineken beer".

It led Heineken to releasing a statement warning people not to fall victim to the phishing scam. The beer manufacturer also revealed at the time that it had been reported to Action Fraud.
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