Argos text scam tricks customers through fake refund message

Text messages claiming to offer a refund could actually steal your personal information and payment details through a phishing website

Action Fraud has warned Argos customers to beware of fake messages that lead to phishing websites (REUTERS)

Cyber criminals are sending text messages that appear to come from Argos in an attempt to fool customers of the retail giant into sharing their personal information, including their payment details.

One scam message shared by a would-be victim on social media, stated: "Your Argos credit card has a refund of £270 from an overpayment." The message includes a link to what appears to be the Argos website, however leads to a phishing website designed to steal a person's personal information.

Even more confusingly for recipients, the message appears in a messaging thread that includes legitimate texts from Argos in the past.

Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre, issued a warning to any potential victims. "These fake text messages purport to be from Argos and claim that you're owed a refund," the agency said.

"Always question unsolicited requests for your personal or financial information in case it's a scam. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text."

The official Twitter account for Argos customer service, @Argos Helpers, has been responding to tweets from concerned customers by telling them to ignore it.

One message read: "It is a scam and we have been made aware of it. Our team ourdoiing everything to investigate and protect our customers [sic]."

A spokesperson for Argos told The Independent: "Customers should always be mindful of phishing scams. These messages are not from Argos and we are advising customers to delete them."