Scam alert: Kmart customers targeted in bargain hunting Facebook groups
Kmart customers have been warned about a new scam circulating in bargain hunting Facebook groups.
They have been warned to watch for advertisements offering Nintendo Switches for $2.95.
The fake Facebook post has been circulating in parents' groups online and has already fooled a number of Aussies into handing their card details over.
The post includes a photograph showing a doctored Kmart price tag displaying that the gaming device has been reduced from $379.86 to $2.95.
It also claims that the lower price point is due to a contract dispute between Kmart and Nintendo.
Not only is this is factually incorrect, but it is one of the first signs something is obviously fake, as it is too-good-to-be-true.
“Kmart broke its contract with Nintendo and is giving away a Nintendo Switch game console to every Australian for $2.95,” the caption on the scam post reads.
One shopper claimed her friend had lost $700 after falling for the scam, as the fraudsters took her bank details and withdrew money.
“BEWARE. Another scam page going around, also there is a Dyson one,” she said.
“Do not fall for it. Friend did and has lost around $700. They just keep taking from your bank. Can't stop it unless you email them and threaten with lawyers.”
“Unfortunately I was one of those people who thought it was real,” another woman said.
Some believe the advertisement is so fake it's the consumers fault that they fell for it in the first place.
“Phishing messages are designed to look genuine, and often copy the format used by the organisation the scammer is pretending to represent, including their branding and logo,” ACCC's Scamwatch website said.
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