WhatsApp fraud with fake competitions by Lindt and Milka

Advent is just around the corner and at Christmas a whole lot of chocolate will certainly be given away (as well as nibbled yourself). Fraudsters who use WhatsApp and other meta offers such as Facebook and Instagram also know this.

WhatsApp fraud with fake sweepstakes using the brand names Milka and Lindt has been known for some time and especially emerged around Easter 2022. There is a high probability that around Christmas 2022 there will also be one or two "raffles" for tapping user data making the rounds in Messenger. You can find all the details here.

Does the forwarded message seem too good to be true? Then she probably is too. You can find out here how you can recognize WhatsApp fraud with fake sweepstakes and how to protect yourself from rip-offs, malware and phishing!
Does the forwarded message seem too good to be true? Then she probably is too. You can find out here how you can recognize WhatsApp fraud with fake sweepstakes and how to protect yourself from rip-offs, malware and phishing!

Milka and Lindt: WhatsApp fraud with fake sweepstakes

Not only the names of the two chocolate companies can be misused for a scam via WhatsApp. Delivery services, restaurant chains, online shops or manufacturers of luxury items, clothing, shoes, jewelry, technology, software, video games, etc. can involuntarily “borrow” their names here.

But what the competitions doing the rounds in messenger apps and social media have in common is that the more well-known the brand name is, the more likely it is that it is fraudulent. So be extra careful now before Christmas! 

The aims of the bogus sweepstakes: tapping data, foisting malware or subscriptions

Whether WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram or Facebook: Alleged competition sites, which you are supposed to access via a link in the respective message / post, may serve one or the other fraudulent purpose.

If you have to enter data such as name, address, email address, telephone number and so on, then this data is subsequently misused either for identity theft or to bombard you with advertisements. A countdown or information such as "Secure profit now and get it in 24 hours" is used to simulate non-existent urgency and scarcity, which is intended to keep you from thinking.

Next to the Phishing, i.e. the tapping of data, you can also catch malware or take out a subscription.

Especially if you are lured with a cash win (about 7 x €10.000 in Lindt's alleged gold bunny campaign) and therefore enter your account or credit card details, these could soon be used to rip you off. An expensive subscription trap, a single and high debit or other things are possible. Of course, there are also sweepstakes that are not fraudulent. But you should be careful with forwarded messages in WhatsApp.

How do I recognize a competition fake in WhatsApp?

Below I have prepared a small list of questions that you should be able to answer yourself if you have received a competition link via WhatsApp. There is a small explanation for each question. You can refer to this FAQ if you don't know whether the competition from the WhatsApp message is a scam or not (spoiler: it's probably a fake and aims to steal data).

Will the competition also be advertised on the brand's original website?

Should the link or the link preview in the WhatsApp message lead you to milka.de, lindt.de or to the website of another brand that is allegedly giving away something, then do not use the link. Instead, open the Web browser your device and go to the brand's website manually.

Is the sweepstakes mentioned in the message being held there? Then take part (if you want to) there. If there is no reference to the competition, then the message is immediately recognizable as a fake. However, scammers can also refer to an existing competition and still insert a wrong link - so do not click on it under any circumstances.

Which link URL is displayed and does it have anything to do with the brand?

In addition to the link preview with image, title and a short URL (e.g. lindt.de or milka.de) you will probably find a colored text link underneath. In the event of fraud, this link, which is usually displayed in blue, does not contain the brand name.

In the case of the above-mentioned WhatsApp fraud with fake sweepstakes for Easter 2022, the link was e.g. B. "wp20.ru" - firstly, this has nothing to do with the chocolate brands, secondly, .ru points to a Russian site. The fraud is thus carried out via foreign sites, which makes criminal prosecution almost impossible.

Image source: Mimikama.at
Image source: Mimikama.at

If you click or tap the link (not recommended!), what's the URL of the page you're looking at?

If you don't pay attention to the link in the WhatsApp message, then at least check which page is called up if you can't keep your hands off it. Because the page called up can look confusingly similar to the website of the fake brand.

But perhaps the address field again shows an Internet address that has nothing to do with the brand name or a competition. If instead of the top-level domain of your country (.de = Germany; .at = Austria; .ch = Switzerland) there is also a completely different abbreviation, then it is better to close the whole thing and under no circumstances leave behind any personal data such as name, Address, telephone number, payment information or the like.

Image source: Mimikama.at
Image source: Mimikama.at

Where can I find more information on the topic?

My favorite place to go for such topics is Mimicama. This platform primarily takes care of things that make the rounds on the Internet and cause a stir. The Mimikama team follows things up, researches and shows what the individual facts are all about.

Is it fake news? Is it a scam attempt? Or can the link/message/image be trusted? These questions will be answered there. There are several posts on the subject of sweepstakes fraud via Messenger – for example on 70 years of the Lindt Gold Bunny. Technology, lifestyle and advice pages also touch on such topics here and there.

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