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Consumer body Which? has warned customers to be wary of fake social media accounts where scammers pose as customer service agents for well-known brands such as Vinted, Asos, Zara and Evri.

They target those who have posted queries or complaints and tagged the company's genuine account.

Many of these accounts use identical language, whether they are posing as customer service agents for clothing brands or delivery companies. They often reply quickly, in the hope that customers won't notice they're being contacted by a scammer. They apologise for the inconvenience, say they have ‘already escalated this matter to the relevant department' and ask customers to provide a WhatsApp number so they can provide further assistance.

Once they have a phone number, they often go on to ask for more personal information. This could allow them to commit identity fraud.

One Zara customer who shared her number with a fake customer service account was then asked to provide her credit card details so that her refund could be processed.

Scam accounts may also:
ask you to click on links to visit a 'help hub' - these actually lead to scam websites that harvest your card details 
ask you to download a payment app to receive compensation or to pay a small fee to resolve your issue
How to Avoid
If you have complained to a company on social media, make sure that any accounts responding to you are legitimate before engaging with them or providing any personal data. You can do this by visiting the company's official website and following links to their social media profiles.

Fake accounts will usually have a small number of followers and their posts/messages may include a lot of spelling and grammar errors.

If you have given any details to a scammer, such as your email address, change the password on your account.

Contact your bank immediately if you think you may have made a payment to a scammer or if you are worried that a fraudulent transaction has been made from your account.

Find Out More
Original article: www.which.co.uk/news/article/which-finds-scam-social-media-accounts-posing-as-zara-asos-vinted-evri-and-others
Information about your consumer rights from Advice Direct Scotland: https://consumeradvice.scot/knowledge-centre/ or 0808 164 6000 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)

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