Fake contest on WhatsApp |
Halloween Scam! Stay away from nasty “Milka” links
This nasty WhatsApp scam probably works according to the motto: What worked once, we can try again directly…
Milka has again become the victim of a nasty chain letter scam: After already around Easter countless links to a fake lottery were sent, many people get the creeps again when they look at their cell phones. On Halloween, competitions are doing the rounds again, like back then with the supposed sender Milka. And again with the aim of luring users to fake sites where they are supposed to deposit personal or – even worse – bank details.
The bait for unsuspecting recipients: “Free Halloween gift baskets from Milka, 5000 free gifts for you” or “Milka Halloween Candy Subsidy”. sweets for free? For many, that’s an incentive to click the innocuous-looking link in the message.
▶︎ Attention, you end up on a fake website that looks confusingly similar to Milka’s. But there the scammers try to get your data. And that can be dangerous! It cannot be ruled out that spy software is installed on your smartphone and that sensitive data falls into the wrong hands unnoticed.
Milka therefore warns on its own, real website: “In various media, consumers are often informed about fake Milka sweepstakes! These are click baits that lead to a sweepstakes. These actions are not from our house. Our Milka brand has no connection with these competitions. They only pursue the purpose of obtaining personal data in order to subsequently contact the participants.”
Milka warns against fake sweepstakes on its website
Milka also points out that real competitions can always be identified by the sender Milka or Mondelez (US food company with German headquarters in Bremen).
If the sender information is not recognizable or important additions such as conditions of participation are missing, says Milka, the company advises against providing personal data.
Security experts warn
The IT security experts at the SITS Group (Wiesbaden) make it clear what can happen if you click on the wrong link. Olaf Pursche (CCO AV-TEST Institute) on BILD: “In the worst case, your device can be taken over. This applies to all devices, such as PCs, but also smartphones. If such a link is opened, the attacker has access to everything – saved passwords, messages, images, documents. It could also remain hidden on the device and wait until e.g. B. Banking password is entered.”
Sensitive data such as access or credit card data could then be used for identity theft or credit card fraud, explains Pursche – or simply resold.
Before each click, the experts warn, it is important to check the URL: If this is not clearly related to Milka (or another company), then the click is not recommended.
However, if you have fallen for a fake, SITS expert Pursche recommends: “If it is a company device, you should report the case directly to the responsible IT department. They can then check more precisely what exactly is happening on the link. For private use: If any passwords or credit card details have been entered, you should immediately have the card blocked and/or change the password.”
Another tip: Always be careful online if something is supposed to be free…