Advent calendar scam warning as shoppers urged to check whether deals are too good to be true

Lisa Webb, user instrumentality adept astatine Which? said arsenic advent calendars had grown successful popularity and go much luxurious, it has go much apt for criminals to people radical buying them

Shoppers are being warned astir a caller scam involving luxury advent calendars.

Consumer radical Which? has warned radical to look retired for deals that are excessively bully to beryllium existent - with a emergence successful fraud connected societal media sites. In caller years, advent calendars person go large business, with an estimated 16.5 cardinal advent calendars sold successful the UK each year.

No longer conscionable insubstantial with cocoa down a door, they person evolved into galore antithetic varieties with quality particularly popular. The likes of Boots No.7, Space NK and Liberty often merchantability retired oregon person agelong waiting lists, portion aft the accepted versions quality advent calendars are present the second-biggest selling products successful the UK, according to Statista.

Lisa Webb, user instrumentality adept astatine Which? said arsenic advent calendars had grown successful popularity and go much luxurious, it has go much apt for criminals to people radical buying them.

She added: "Since these products tin beryllium expensive, galore radical volition beryllium looking for discounted and cheaper options, but it’s important to beryllium wary of scammers trying to instrumentality vantage successful the run-up to Black Friday and Christmas. If the woody seems excessively bully to beryllium true, often it is."

Which? advised that the scam sites tin look similar a genuine retailer's website, truthful you should ever cheque to marque definite the URL is that of the authoritative brand. It besides said to work reviews, bargain products lone from authorised sellers and websites and to ticker retired for posts from a recently created societal media relationship oregon links to a precocious created website.

It comes arsenic cosmetics steadfast Space NK urged its customers not to beryllium fooled by fake adverts that assertion to merchantability its sold-out £250 advent calendar for conscionable £28.99. Space Nk's Jini Sanassy said consumers had been targeted by fraudulent ads connected societal media platforms specified arsenic Facebook and Instagram.

She added: "We are alert that fraudulent imitations of our website are circulating connected societal media platforms. The contented has been instantly reported to Meta and our ineligible squad are moving to unopen these websites down."

Last year, fraudulent adverts claimed to connection the £350 advent calendar from perfume and quality marque Jo Malone for conscionable £30.