Recently, a WhatsApp message has been duping people into signing up. The image and the link is advertised as a chance for people to claim a gift from the automobile company Maruti Suzuki on account of its 40 year anniversary. The message is being forwarded along with a link that needs to be clicked upon in order to avail the gift.
The website that opens up after clicking on the link.
The message reads “Through the questionnaire, you have a chance to get a Maruti Suzuki BALENO Sigma MT. All you have to do – is to guess which box contains the gift!You can try up to 3 times.”
Once you click on the link, There is a timer set to create a sense of urgency to open the gift box that has a reward. On completing the survey, users have to open boxes to claim the free gift. Once you “win” the gift, it asks you to share the message to 5 Whats App groups or 20 friends.
Fraudulent website:
First, it is important to note that the website url is palaceviable.xyz. Since Maruti Suzuki is a very well established company, it would have the company’s name in the url.
There have been hundreds or maybe even thousands of schemes such as this that promise you a gift in exchange of your information and that you forward this to more people. The link could contain viruses and malware. These scams even collect your private information and may try to extort you out of your money.
Even the official twitter account of Maruti Suzuki Arena has given an official statement that “There are no official contests being run by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. Contest being promoted on social media is fake. We urge customers to visit our website http://marutisuzuki.com & official social media pages for correct updates, or contact our authorized dealerships for offers.”
We urge you to beware of such scams and never click on links that seem suspicious or too good to be true.
