A nasty rip-off scam is circulating on WhatsApp again. This time, the scammers take Father’s Day as an opportunity and pretend a competition on Obi. Whoever receives such a message should act immediately.
Version:2.22.11.75
Languages:German
License:freeware
Platforms:Android
Unfortunately, criminals never run out of ideas on how to rip off unsuspecting fellow human beings. A particularly popular destination is WhatsApp. With more than 2 billion active users and little control, Messenger is the perfect place to wreak havoc. A fraud attempt is currently circulating on WhatsApp, which is looking for new victims with an Obi competition.
Wrong Obi competition circulating on WhatsApp
Here will WhatsApp users promised to win 5,000 gas grills (Source: Netzwelt). The sweepstakes is said to be hosted by Obi, the message said. Perfidious: The scammers use the well-known Obi mascot to inspire trust. But if you click on the link within the message, you will not be forwarded to the hardware store chain – but lands on scam site.
Then: Obi doesn’t even host a gas grill sweepstakes. “Our competitions are only advertised on our social media channels and on OBI’s official websites. Please don’t fall for it,” says Obi’s Facebook page.
As a rule, the criminals try with such fake sweepstakes to get user data and then sell them, so this is classic phishing. So never carelessly enter your login data anywhere.
There are many WhatsApp alternatives:
This is how you react correctly
If you receive such a message, do not click on the link within the message. Delete them and block the recipient. If it comes from a friend or relative: Inform the respective recipient that it is a fake and ask them to also inform their contacts about the attempted scam. The more people know about the fake sweepstakes, the harder it is for scammers.