Scam alert: watch out for this fake Emirates holiday WhatsApp giveaway
WhatsApp users have been targeted with a new scam impersonating the airline Emirates, with searches on Google for 'Emirates ticket giveaway' having risen by 4,050% in the last week.
Appealing to those wanting to get away this summer, the WhatsApp message invites you to click a link where you can ‘win’ a free holiday with Emirates. This scam has also appeared on Facebook.
Find out what the scam looks like, how to avoid it and how to report it.
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Fake Emirates WhatsApp message
The WhatsApp message promotes a fake ‘Emirates Airlines 2022 Vacation Giveaway’, offering you the chance to win one of ‘5,000 free round-trip flights to Europe, Asia or Domestic.’
The dodgy link that appears in the message is [tinyurl5.ru/r828452207]. While this website appears to have now been removed, be warned that scammers can be quick to set up new dodgy websites.
This scam has also been shared on Facebook by other Facebook users.
Emirates told Which?: ‘The recent online competition being shared on WhatsApp offering free flights is a hoax and has nothing to do with Emirates.
‘Our competitions are always run from our officially verified social media channels or our official website Emirates.com.’
Spot and report WhatsApp scams
Even if the message looks authentic with the brand's logo and details included, WhatsApp messages claiming to be from a large reputable brand are likely to be a scam.
Links included in messages can lead you to fake websites to phish for your personal or financial information, or install malware onto your device. The big giveaway in this message is that the website's full address has been masked using the TinyURL shortlink generator, making it deliberately difficult to tell if the website is malicious.
As a general rule of thumb, avoid following any links sent to you in text or WhatsApp messages. If you receive an out-of-the-blue text or WhatsApp message claiming to be from a brand, always check the brand’s official website and social media pages to verify the information in the message.
On WhatsApp, you can report scam messages by opening up the WhatsApp chat with the unknown number, then tap on 'Report' and then 'Block'. Then you can delete the chat.
Scams can be reported to Action Fraud, or the police if you live in Scotland. You can also report scam websites to the National Cyber Security Centre.
If you're concerned you've shared personal or financial information with a scammer, you should contact your bank immediately.
