Police warning to shoppers in Spain’s Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca as supermarket scam threatens to rip off thousands

National Police are warning shoppers in the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca to IGNORE a supermarket scam offering €500, via WhatsApp and social media, to spend in Mercadona – claiming it’s a lie.

THE swindle, which it is feared could rip off thousands if taken seriously, is one of the lastest ‘phishing’ crimes aimed solely at getting hold of people’s personal and bank details.

And Mercadona has denied any knowledge of the so-called voucher.

⚠ATENCIÓN➡Se está reenviando este FRAUDE:
Te dicen que te regalan 500€ para gastarte en un conocido supermercado🤥#NoPiques #Phishing pic.twitter.com/8Xi4N2l0sG

— Policía Nacional (@policia) April 20, 2020

“Consumers should beware of a message offering a €500 Mercadona voucher. It is phishing and the company has denied having any such offer,” warn the police.

Netflix is another of the major companies fraudsters are latching onto to try to get hold of people’s details, promising three months free viewing.

This particular message reads: “Hello, due to the current Covid-19 crisis, Netflix and WhatsApp (by Facebook) have decided to help users around the world get over the boredom of not going out and enjoying life to the fullest.”

Recipients are invited to “three full months free from Netflix with no strings attached” by clicking on a link in the text.

The police have asked that this information not be shared if it is not verified, and advise against clicking on suspicious links.