Date Published: 07/11/2022
ARCHIVED - Black Friday hoax alert: Spanish airline Iberia is NOT giving away free flights via WhatsApp
Travellers in Spain are being warned of a scam claiming the airline is offering up to 5,000 free flights
With Black Friday fast approaching (November 25) shoppers are bracing themselves for a bargain bonanza as prices are slashed on all kinds of products and even services.
And unsurprisingly, scammers are attempting to get in on the action in the hope of taking advantage of unsuspecting customers, in this case travellers looking for a cheap getaway.
A scam related to Spanish airline Iberia is currently circulating on WhatsApp, prompting the Madrid HQ to issue a public warning on its social networks. Several users have reportedly received a message through this social messaging network advertising free Iberia tickets for Black Friday.
The notification wrongly states that Iberia has opened a kind of competition offering up to 5,000 free flights and includes a link which, when clicked on, redirects users to a fake website that impersonates the airline.
On this page, users are asked to pay a sum of money in order to participate in the sweepstakes and to forward it to their contacts.
Iberia said in a statement posted in Spanish on Twitter: "In recent days we have detected a high number of alerts regarding fake contests and sweepstakes to fly with Iberia circulating through WhatsApp. They are fraudulent claims."
📢 Aviso a los pasajeros: en los últimos días hemos detectado un elevado número de alertas respecto a concursos falsos y sorteos para volar Iberia, que circulan especialmente a través de Whatsapp y que son un fraude. 1/
— Iberia (@Iberia) November 5, 2022
The airline also reminded that all official Iberia sweepstakes, competitions and promotions are published exclusively on its website and official social media profiles.
"We encourage you to inform us of any suspicious content that you detect and, as a general rule, we advise you never to enter any non-Iberia domain," added Iberia.
To avoid this type of scam, the public is advised to check all details of websites when buying online on Black Friday and avoid accessing links sent via WhatsApp or other social networks.
In other news: British pensioner stabs wife to death on Costa del Sol
Image: Iberia
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