A new scam circulating on WhatsApp this Thursday (16) says to offer a "Heineken voucher" to access a free beer promotion. The text has the message "stay at home" and an address to supposedly rescue four units of Heineken barrel with free draft beer. Fake content, and clicking the link can be dangerous and pose a risk of data theft through phishing.
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According to a survey by dfndr lab, a laboratory specializing in digital security at PSafe, in less than four hours the number of victims increased from 55 thousand to 159 thousand. The message follows the pattern of other scams that have already circulated through WhatsApp, such as those that used the name Adidas, Melissa and Tramontina. Sought by dnetc, the beer company reported that "Heineken claims that the promotion that has been circulating via WhatsApp for the past few days is false. The brand's recommendation is not to open the link in question".
Heineken voucher? WhatsApp coup promises free beer in Heineken keg Photo: Rubens Achilles / Tech
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The director of the dfndr lab Emilio Simoni explains that the malicious link in the message mimics the appearance of the Heineken website and brings questions to distract the victim, such as beer and age preference. At the end of the questionnaire, a message is displayed that the person has won the four barrels of beer, and the suspicious page advises the victim to share the promotion with ten WhatsApp contacts.
The aim of scams like this is to collect personal and banking data from victims and profit by directing people to pages with excessive advertising.
HEINEKEN – STAY HOME WITH 4 Kegs of Free BeerAccording to orders, we will distribute beer. Look at that !! (malicious link)
According to Google Trends, a tool responsible for monitoring Internet searches, the term "heineken voucher" is on the rise throughout this Thursday, with a sudden increase in interest from 10 am (time in Braslia). Related searches include "heineken barrel", "heineken promoo" and "heineken stay at home".
Google Trends shows increase in searches for the term "heineken voucher" Photo: Reproduo / dnetc
The scam also has repercussions on social networks, such as Twitter. Check out some posts below:
and my friend saw a heineken voucher and entered the link on whatsapp and got a virus on his cell phone addicted to beer
– April 16, 2020
barrel voucher from heineken free and i distributing in my whats kkkkkkkkkkk i don't even drink beer, but what i don't do for my dad n
– April 16, 2020
@heinekenbr good morning i received a WhatsApp that entitles 4 barrels of 5 liters from Heineken I gave up looking when asked to send to more contacts this promotion is called my voucher, this real promotion? Thanks.
– April 16, 2020
In order not to fall for scams like the "Heineken voucher", it is important to take some security measures such as not clicking on WhatsApp links that promise great advantages or promotions. Simoni is also attentive to the opportunism of cybercriminals, who took advantage of the quarantine and the Heineken brand: In this scam, the #FiqueEmCasa movement, which has gained proportions in recent months on social networks, was used as bait to deceive the population. Malicious links once again use the name of a major brand and thereby gain people's attention and trust.
When in doubt, it is important to go to the official website of the brand in question to check the veracity of the offer. In addition, it is always important to keep antivirus software installed on your phone, be it Android or iPhone (iOS).
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