Scammers are quick to react to any opportunity. And the potential closure of Wilco stores is their latest opportunity to part people from their cash.
You can read the story behind this in the news here for example https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/busi- ness-66580724 or in more detail on the Which? website here https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/ wilko-copycat-website-scam-aIP396Q88ISU
The worry here is that people’s need to instantly grab a bargain is not letting them stop and think clearly about what they are being offered. When the ‘advert’ is via Facebook and it’s “too good to be true” (a sofa for £4.99) then you need to start being wary. Even the slightest knowledge would remind you that Wilkos doesn’t sell sofas or scooters, and a check of the actual website www.wilko.com would show that these deals don’t exist. Yet people still want to believe that an impossible bargain is real and are soon wondering how they got scammed.
So, whilst this is a reminder to specifically don’t fall foul of the Wilko scam, there will be plenty more like this again.
Some tips:
Are you expecting this? If you’re getting an unsoli- cited ‘offer’ – then it’s unexpected so you should start being wary.
Does the offer raise your emotions? Clearly that ex- citing offer of a sofa for £4.99 is getting people
fired up – and consequently not able to use their common sense.
Is there an urgency? You need to buy any sale offer before it’s gone!
If an offer is unsolicited, emotional and urgent, then those are very clear indicators of a scam.
What do you do? You slow down & take control. Research the offer properly – visit the real website or contact the firm involved. Never rely on inform- ation that you’ve only found through social media. Make sure you’re absolutely certain that you’re dealing with a reputable firm before you start hand- ing over any money.
Beware of scams & make sure you tell anyone else in your networks to beware of scams too.