Woolworths warns shoppers over fake R200 meat box scam

South African shoppers are being urged to stay alert after a fake Woolworths promotion offering a R200 meat box began circulating widely on Facebook.

Consumer journalist Wendy Knowler said that the scam relies on urgency and trust, using newly-created Facebook accounts, doctored Woolworths branding and fabricated customer testimonials.

“There is no such promotion. It’s definitely a scam,” Knowler said.

Fake posts, real losses

The posts typically include comments such as “I thought this was a scam, but it’s definitely not” to convince users to click on links that harvest personal and banking details.

Woolworths has confirmed that the offer is fraudulent and said that its social media and cybersecurity teams are actively reporting the posts to Meta.

According to Knowler, hundreds of customers have contacted the retailer directly to check whether the deal was legitimate.

“It’s great to see customers being cautious and checking with the company before clicking,” she said.

‘Too good to be true’

Knowler said one of the simplest ways to avoid falling victim is to check the website address carefully.

“The only genuine site is woolworths.co.za. Deals that are too good to be true should ring alarm bells,” she warned.

She added that scammers often succeed because people are socially conditioned to be trusting.

“You have to distrust everything until your own research proves it’s real,” she said.

For more details, listen to Knowler using the audio player below: