Scammers are targeting people at shopping malls, taxi ranks and near ATMs by offering so-called ‘free vouchers’ or loyalty programme sign-ups.
Voucher scams are designed to trick you into giving criminals access to your banking app and your money. What looks like a harmless promotion can quickly turn into a serious financial loss – often without you realising what’s happening until it’s too late.
Scammers often dress the part. They may wear branded T-shirts, carry clipboards or stand behind what looks like a legitimate stall. They speak confidently and claim to represent well-known stores or loyalty programmes. Once they have your attention, the scam usually plays out in one of 2 ways:
Scam method 1: the scammer uses your phone, right in front of you.
They may:
They claim they’re ‘loading’ or ‘activating’ the voucher, but instead they are:
The danger here is that the transaction happens on your phone, so it feels normal – but you’re being manipulated.
Scam method 2: the scammer uses their phone
They may ask for:
While you think they’re registering you for a voucher, they are actually linking your banking app to their device.
You’ll then receive an approval message or notification on your phone. The scammer tells you it’s just to ‘activate the voucher’.
But what you’re really approving is access to your banking app.
Once approved, the scammer can control your banking app, your account, and your money – from their own phone.
