Actually, you know that you shouldn’t click on any dubious links without thinking. But when the words “free” and “gifts” pop up, the mind sometimes stops short. Fraudsters are currently trying to take advantage of this, throwing out Milka’s supposed “Halloween gift baskets” as bait via Whatsapp.
The Mimikama association, which uncovers Internet abuse, reports on the relaunch of a rip-off scam that was already circulating at Easter. Instead of free chocolate Easter bunnies, careless Whatsapp users are now being lured into the trap with Halloween-themed sweets, as screenshots show. According to Mimikama, anyone who clicks on the link is directed to a page disguised as Milka’s website. There you have to answer four simple questions in a mini quiz in order to secure the free chocolate. In fact, the whole thing is fake, as can be seen from the fact that the supposed Milka website ends in “.ru”.
There’s nothing to win either. First you are asked to send the link to 20 Whatsapp friends to receive the supposed prize. Then you will be forwarded to various pages where you are lured into subscription traps or personal data is to be tapped. The Mimkama testers also ended up on dubious casino sites and dating platforms during their test run. In the worst case, users could catch a Trojan on the site that attacks private data, Mimikama warns.
Milka manufacturer Mondelez also warns on its real website about “false Milka sweepstakes” that are misused as “click bait”. “If the sender is not Mondelez, if the information is not clear or is missing, we clearly advise against submitting personal data!”
When the Fake Milka scam circulated before Easter, the consumer center also wrote a warning article about it. In it, the consumer advocates also explain what to do if you have fallen for the scam. So you should not install any unknown apps after clicking on the link. Consumer advocates advise anyone who has disclosed personal information such as name, address or even bank details to inform the police and their own bank. You should also warn all contacts to whom you forwarded the link as soon as possible.
Sources: Mimikama / Milka / consumer center
