Beware of gift message scams on WhatsApp

A majority of Indians use WhatsApp. At the same time, many fraudsters are misusing it to dupe users by spreading fake messages on this platform. Recently some fake gift messages have been doing rounds on WhatsApp.

One of the messages says that DMart company is giving gifts to its customers on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. The message also has a link which leads to a fake website. A spin wheel appears on the fake website which asks the users to spin the wheel following the instructions. After that, users are prompted to share the free gift contest details with other friends to claim the prize. The message prompts to share the message with 5 groups / 20 friends on WhatsApp.

Experts warn that this is a fake message to trick the users. Hence users should beware of such fraud messages.

Another fake message that has been doing rounds on WhatsApp is a gift related to Taj Hotels.

The message says that the Taj Hotel introduced gift card to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

The message reads as follows: “I received a gift card from TAJ Hotel and finally got the chance to stay in TAJ Hotel for 7 days for free”. The message also has a link.

When users click on the link, it displays a message saying that Taj Hotel sent 200 gift cards to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The gift card can be used to stay at any hotel in Taj Group for seven days for free of cost. It also says that users have three tries to open the correct gift box.

But, this message is also fake. Taj Hotels confirmed that the hotel group has not initiated any such offer or promotion. The Hotel group asked users to be extra cautious about such fake messages.

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