London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 17, 2025

Heineken says Father's Day beer contest is a scam

Heineken says Father's Day beer contest is a scam

A competition to win free beer for Father's Day circulating on WhatsApp is a scam, Heineken has said.

The message offers the chance to win one of 5,000 coolers full of lager and links to a fake quiz-style competition.

But Heineken said this was a phishing scam - a way of tricking someone into clicking a malicious link or entering personal information like bank details.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said: "We encourage users to report the message to us for review for spam or abuse."

Anyone who got the scam message should "delete it immediately", Heineken's spokesperson said.

They added: "We're aware of the current phishing scam circulating through social networks, which is not sanctioned by Heineken. We have alerted the relevant authorities."


Consumer rights group Which? said people should "always be suspicious of a message from an unknown number, no matter how tempting the offer may be".

"Never click on links in messages as scammers can use URLs to download malware onto your device or take you to a website that will try to steal your personal and bank details," it said in a warning about the Heineken scam on its website.

Anyone who clicked a suspicious link who thinks they might have given details away should contact their bank immediately and report the scam to Action Fraud, it said.

"If you receive a random text or WhatsApp message from a brand that you discover is fraudulent, open up the WhatsApp chat from the unknown number, open the sender's contact details and select Block and Report, it said.

Suspicious text messages could be reported to 7726, a free spam reporting service, as well as to the company the text was claiming to be from, it said.


Ian McShane, vice president of strategy at cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf said this particular scam was "a not-so-subtle illustration of how cybercriminals prey on consumer greed and love for a freebie".

"The scam suggests the first 5,000 respondents will receive a free fridge of beer in return," he said.

"Scammers and cybercriminals are experts at using social media to tap into our likes and desires and will use urgency as a way to hasten someone's response and lower their guard.

"Often people will respond to the "only the first XX people will win" before considering that this might not actually be legit."

While onlinethreatalerts.com said the scam was spreading "like wildfire" it was difficult to track within private messages, said Annelie Helgelin, from digital consumer intelligence company Brandwatch.

"Many scammers take advantage of these household brands because they know consumers trust them," she added.

WhatsApp said it protected its users' personal messages with end-to-end encryption, but everyone could play a role in keeping their accounts safe by remaining vigilant to the threat of scammers.

"We advise people never to share their six-digit PIN code with others, not even friends or family, and recommend that all users set up two-step verification for added security," a spokesperson said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
×