Free Tesco voucher scam: how to tell it's fake

A 'free Tesco voucher' scam is doing the rounds once again. Here's how to stay safe if you come across the fake voucher offer through email or on Facebook or Twitter.

Scammers are luring shoppers into handing over their personal details by promising fake 'free Tesco vouchers'.

The vouchers are being shared both via email and on Facebook and Twitter, but they are all fake.

The counterfeit Tesco vouchers we spotted claimed to be worth £45, but the value can vary. 

Morning, yes that sounds like a scam, we have not been posting that. I would advise that you do not take part. TY - Ben https://t.co/py5Z991Bme

— Tesco (@Tesco) November 10, 2019

Spotting fake Tesco vouchers and offers

These voucher scams are depressingly common – you can see how other supermarkets are targeted here – so it's important you stay vigilant and remember the golden rule: supermarkets will never contact you out of the blue and ask you to share personal details in return for prizes or vouchers.

If you're in any way unsure, you could check with the customer services team of the shop in question.

Don't click on any links contained in the email or voucher in question, but rather look up the contact info separately.

The scam we spotted starts by claiming "You have been selected to take part in our short survey to get a £45 Voucher at Tesco", as you can see from this screengrab we took. If you want to see a larger version, click on the image and it'll open in a new window.

There's even a fake countdown clock marking the number of remaining vouchers to try and pressure you into acting.

There are also numerous spelling and grammatical errors throughout the page – another classic sign it's a fake offer.

You're then asked to answer a few questions and then share the voucher and add 'Thanks' in the comment section (which ensures the scam keeps being spread) before you can then download the voucher.

We'd stress that there are many variants of this scam, so just because it doesn't look identical to the one above doesn't mean it's genuine!

Staying ahead of the scammers

If an offer seems too good to be true, it generally is.

As we mentioned earlier, supermarkets aren't in the habit of sending out valuable vouchers to strangers so be suspicious of any generous offer. 

If you want to be 100% sure you could check with the supermarket in question but, again, don't click on any links or phone any number contained within the offer.

Look up the contact details for the supermarket separately.