Dubai: A major hypermarket chain operator in UAE has launched a massive scam alert regarding relentless scam artists who have been targeting consumers in an attempt to extract money from them.
LuLu Hypermarket confirmed on Tuesday that despite repeated warnings, fraudsters are still doing the rounds, tricking people into sharing their personal information, including credit card and bank account details.
The scammers randomly make phone calls or send WhatsApp messages and introduce themselves as representatives of LuLu. They tell unsuspecting customers that they have won a prize or shopping rewards and ask for the supposed winner’s credit card or bank account information.
With a constant stream of announcements about UAE expatriates hitting mega jackpots, including millions of dollars at lotteries, it is not a surprise that fraudsters are still out there, trying to con people out of their hard-earned money.
This prompted the supermarket chain operator to roll out ads on major newspapers, warning the public about the ongoing telephone scam.
"We have come to know about some incidents of attempted frauds in the name of Lulu Hypermarket, where the callers have identified themselves as calling on behalf of LuLu and tried to obtain certain personal and financial information of the persons, including their bank account and bank card details with the intent of defrauding them with false news of winning a prize or with some offers at LuLu,” the retailer said in an ad posted on newspapers.
The company said in a similar warning on Twitter last month that it doesn't ask a customer to share any financial information for store promotions.
Dear customers, please be careful with WhatsApp and phone calls from random numbers claiming you have won a big cash prize from LuLu as it is not associated with us. We never ask bank details for our promotions. We also encourage you to report such messages to authorities. pic.twitter.com/GpfKw1ynDt
— LuLu Hypermarket AE (@luluhypr) July 12, 2018
According to a spokesperson, the scam has been going on for some time now, with some shoppers alerting the hypermarket about the impostors.
“We’ve been getting complaints from our customers about these fraudulent calls. We’re warning them to be careful when they receive such calls,” a spokesperson for LuLu Hypermarket told Gulf News.
So far, however, the hypermarket has yet to receive reports of customers losing money as a result of the scam.
The supermarket, however, has already lodged a complaint against the fraudsters. UAE residents who may be contacted by the impostors are advised to also file a complaint with the authorities.
