Buyer beware: Police have just issued a warning about a sneaky Kmart scam

Posted in Safety.
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NSW Police are warning consumers about a scam text purporting to be from Kmart, urging those who receive the message to “delete immediately”.

Attention Kmart shoppers!

Posting on their Facebook page, NSW Police quipped that this is the hack nobody should opt into, hat-tipping the ubiquitous Kmart product makeovers that fill the internet.

“Attention Kmart shoppers! This is one Kmart hack you don’t want to know about!” NSW Police wrote.

“Watch out for this SMS scam pretending to be from Kmart. The text promises a prize if you click the link.”

The police update goes on to explain that this is a data mining scam, with criminals hoping to gather personal details and even mess with the receiving smartphone’s settings.

“This is a classic SMS scam that tries to trick people into giving out their personal details,” they explain.

“Some scam SMS will even contain electronic viruses that can compromise a phone’s security. Delete immediately.”

Bunnings, ALDI, Coles, Woolies, JB HiFi …

Facebook followers of the boys in blue were thrilled to get this heads-up. They were also keen to share some scam intel of their own.

“l have won Woolies voucher $400 and Coles shopper of the month $500 voucher (never shop at Coles) 2nd prize in Woolies raffle (didn’t buy a ticket) and unclaimed lottery win of $28,000 … if only they weren’t scams l would be happy,” one follower posted.

Attention Kmart shoppers! This is one Kmart hack you don't want to know about! Watch out for this SMS scam pretending…

Posted by NSW Police Force on Tuesday, 20 August 2019

“I have received one from saying it’s from JB HiFi saying I’ve won a prize in a competition I’ve recently entered. Umm not true,” someone else wrote.

“There is a Bunnings email one going around too,” someone warned.

“There is also one going around with Woolworths,” another person asserted.

“I had one claiming to be ALDI – just another scam to get your details.”

Another woman said she’s getting weird scam texts from a fake Australia Post.

“I am currently receiving SMSs from Auspost which look like scams, the worrying part is they are actually from the same Auspost number that sends me legitimate SMS’s about parcel deliveries.”

Sneaky, sneaky. Beware of these texts and delete them if they pop up on your phone.

How to avoid getting scammed

The government’s Scamwatch website warned consumers about this Kmart scam a couple of days ago.

They have a Scamwatch newsletter which details the latest scams and also update their website and social media with the latest information on these sorts of fake texts and emails.

Scamwatch also has some brilliant information about all the various types of scams that are in play at the moment, how to avoid them and what to do if you’ve been caught up in one. Find out more here.

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