ALDI coupon scams have made the rounds online, forcing the discount supermarket to take action and warn its customers.
Circulating primarily through Whatsapp messages and Facebook promotions, customers are promised gift vouchers in exchange for personal information acquired through bogus competitions and surveys. Messages are often accompanied by links which take customers to a scam website instead of an official ALDI webpage.
Customers have voiced their concerns about these increasing incidences on ALDI Australia’s official Facebook page, where the supermarket has advised its customers to simply report what they see to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).
ALDI Australia’s official website acknowledges the increasing number of scams associated to their name, further emphasising to its customers that any competition run by them would be communicated only through their official website, newsletter of Facebook page.
How to spot or avoid being scammed
One way to spot a scam is to simply check whether the website you’re visiting is encrypted. An encrypted website means that it belongs to a secure and safe server; simply look for the green lock in the corner of the address bar.
If the domain name does not match the official website, it is also most likely a scam website.
Other red flags include spelling mistakes and grammatical error. If the site’s grasp of the English language looks bad, it’s probably associated with something sketchy or shady.
Generally however, if you see something that’s too good to be true, it generally is – especially when it’s online. Vouchers shared through social media are often scams so check to be sure if what you’re clicking on is legitimate. With regards to ALDI, make sure to double check their official website and Facebook page to ensure that the competition you see is legit.
Check Scam Watch also to stay up to date with the latest in scam news and alerts.