Scammers are peddling a fake Cadbury Christmas giveaway on WhatsApp

This Cadbury giveaway scam is recirculating on WhatsApp in the run-up to Christmas.

We first reported on this WhatsApp scam message in 2022. The scam message claims to offer a hamper from Cadbury's and encourages you to follow a link to be in with a chance of receiving this prize.

You're also told to share the dodgy WhatsApp link with five groups or 20 friends to receive the hamper, meaning the scam message you received will have come from one of your WhatsApp contacts.

Below, we explain how this scam works and offer advice on how to report dodgy messages. 

Cadbury WhatsApp giveaway scam

In the scam message we examined in 2022, people were receiving a WhatsApp message containing a picture of a Cadbury chocolate selection. The message encouraged you to visit a suspicious website with a Russian URL that had no link to the real Cadbury's website (www.cadbury.co.uk). This is the first giveaway that the message was fraudulent.

The message included your name and address (blocked out in the above screenshot), which added an air of credibility. Scammers may have obtained these details from an unsecure website or a site that was subject to a data breach.

 The link to the ‘giveaway’ had also been shared on Facebook by users who are unaware that it's a scam, as shown above.

Clicking the link in the message took you to a survey website where you’ll be asked questions as part of a ‘quiz’ ahead of ‘finding the golden ticket’. 

The website used convincing-looking branding and says: ‘Hello, welcome to Cadbury’s Special Christmas Giveaway! Answer this short quiz, find the golden ticket and win an exclusive Christmas Chocolate Magic Basket. 235 gifts left.’

After answering four questions, you were given three attempts to select a prize box with a ticket inside, indicating you’ve won. You win on the third attempt.

At this point, the scammer tells you you must share a WhatsApp link with five groups or 20 friends (to spread the scam further) before you can finally claim your ‘gift’. You'll then need to enter your delivery address. 

We’ve seen survey scams like this before that lure you in with the promise of a free product before asking you to answer questions and give away your personal information.

Reporting WhatsApp scams

If you receive this WhatsApp message, even if it’s from a friend or family member, you can rest assured that it's a scam. Make sure you let the sender know and delete the message. Do not click on the link. 

You can make your WhatsApp account more secure by setting up two-step verification (2SV). This means that you'll have an additional check to carry out before logging in, such as entering a code number.

To do this, open up WhatsApp settings, tap ‘account,' ‘two-step verification’ and turn on or set up ‘PIN' and then choose and enter a six-digit PIN and confirm it.

You can also provide an email address to reset two-step verification by tapping ‘next’ then confirming the email address and pressing ‘save’ or ‘done.’

If you receive this message from an unknown number,  you can report the sender on WhatsApp by opening up the chat, tapping on the sender's contact details and selecting 'Block and Report'. Suspicious websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre.

This story was originally published on 14 December 2022, and updated on 8 December 2025 as the scam was recirculating.