A warning has been sounded after a social media account pretending to be Tesco has been caught trying to scam people online.

The scam, which appears to offer people a 4K flat screen television for free, has been circulating on Facebook.

It looks like a genuine offer from Tesco, with more than 100 people having been duped by it already.

What does the scam say?

The fake Tesco scam, which was uncovered by law firm Griffin Law, claims that the supermarket is offering people the chance to bag one of 500 fully working 55 inch Samsung 4K TVs.

The post states that the TVs have minor damage and will be thrown away should the supermarket fail to find a home from them.

Scammers used convincing images which showed the TVs inside the Tesco warehouse, as well as setting up a fake Facebook page called ‘Tesco UK’.

The scam is designed to trick social media users into submitting their personal details in order to claim one of the TVs supposedly being given away.

The post read: “We have around 500 TVs in our warehouse that are about to be binned as they have slight damage and can’t be sold.

“However all of them are in fully working condition, we thought instead of binning them we’d given them away free to 500 people who have shared and commented on this post by July 18th.”

These are the top warning signs to look for

Tesco reported the unofficial page to Facebook and the post is now listed as ‘content unavailable’.

However, hundreds of people reported email scams, which used Tesco branding, after falling for the offer, receiving a message to “claim their prize.”

The email read, “Hey [name]! Thank you for entering our competition to win a new TV. You’ve won, congratulations! Please click ‘Claim TV’ to get your TV. We hope you enjoy it!"

Recipients were then directed to a landing page to enter their name, home address, telephone number and bank account details.

Action Fraud recommends being wary of such messages that:

  • are unsolicited and supposedly come from a reputable organisation, such as a bank or credit card company
  • encourage you urgently to visit a website or call a number to verify or update your details
  • request your personal information such as username, password or bank account

If you do receive a suspicious message you should not reply to it, and be cautious about clicking on any links that may be embedded, or calling a number that may be provided.

If you have responded to a message that you suspect to be a scam and gave your bank account details, you should contact your bank immediately.

To report a scam, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or report it online.