Wilko sale warning after shopper loses £200 to fraudsters
Wilko stores have all closed but certain sites are reopening under the Poundland brand
PA
Members of the public have lost up to £200 in recent months after scammers tried to cash in following the collapse of Wilko.
While all 400 Wilko stores have now closed, an online shopping scam has emerged since it was announced the retailer had collapsed into administration.
South Yorkshire Police’s Fraud Co-ordination Team has been made aware of “a number” of people who have tried to purchase items from what they believed to be the legitimate Wilko website.
However, they unfortunately had placed the order on a fake website, which had stolen the Wilko branding despite having nothing to do with it.
Members of the public who have spotted forms of this Wilko sale scam tactic
PA
After placing an order and playing for the items on these sites, victims have never received the goods, and later found out the website was not genuine.
South Yorkshire Police said they have received 19 reports of this scam across August and September, with victims losing up to £200.
They are urging people to take extra care before paying for the goods online, to try and ensure the website is legitimate.
PC Angela Senior said: “We know how tempting discounts and clearance sales can be, however, we encourage people to stop and query whether the deal is too good to be true before they make a purchase.
“Before making a purchase, always stop and think – is the item being sold by an official retailer?
“We know that, unfortunately, cyber scammers are often very good at making fake shopping websites look realistic, and therefore it’s really important that people remain vigilant to the fact that these fake websites are out there and make the necessary checks before making any purchases.”
Members of the public who have spotted forms of this scam tactic shared their experience on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Replying to a post by South Yorkshire Police, one person penned: “Yes i saw this a couple of weeks ago It looked legit but the offers/sale prices were too good to be true.”
Another said she had seen a scam website which had an offer that was “too good to be true”.
She wrote: “I had a look at this site & it was 2 good to be true selling a mobility scooter for £14/£15 wen the 1s they were advertising are usually a good couple of grand sorry some people were taken in by it tho.”(sic).
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
While all Wilko stores have closed, administrators for the retailer agreed a deal with The Range to buy the Wilko brand, website and intellectual property
PA
A third person warned: “As I always say, if it looks too good to be true, it's likely a scam.
“The website isn't wilkos. It's like whilco or slightly different. Just read the small print. This time of yr scammers are in over drive, you want a bargain, they want your details.”(sic)
The police suggest using a credit card when shopping online, if people have one, as this could mean the credit card provider protects online purchases and may refund people in certain circumstances.
Another top tip is to research online retailers, particularly if one hasn’t bought from there before.
While all Wilko stores have closed, administrators for the retailer agreed a deal with The Range to buy the Wilko brand, website and intellectual property.
It's not currently possible to order on the legitimate Wilko.com website however social media posts suggest a relaunched online store via the website are "coming soon".