ELECTRICAL RETAILER CURRYS has said that posts on social media offering damaged ‘mystery boxes’ of goods for low prices are not real and “appear to be run by criminal actors making use of the Currys name… to defraud members of the public.”

An ad that was posted on Facebook shows a storage area with large misshapen cardboard packages held together in black wrapping on pallets, with signs reading ‘Currys World Mystery Box’.

“Special offer on ALL damaged boxes for only €1.95,” the post by a user called Ireland-curryspcworld reads. “Each box contains products worth no less than € 500.”

“Special offer for our customers: our warehouses are full of boxes with damaged household appliances, and we are starting an annual lottery to sell these products! Fill out the form, and you have a chance to win.”

Clicking on the link does not take users to a known Currys website. Instead, it attempts to redirect to a different website. When The Journal first tried to open the link, the page glitched and did not load; on later attempts, it brought users to a Spanish massage site. 

An analysis of the image found that the photograph appears to have been manipulated. A JPEG Ghosts algorithm analysis from the WeVerify & InVID Verification Plugin shows that much of the writing in the image, including the Currys logo, is “likely to originate from a different” photograph.

In the comment section under the post, five users have posted reviews of the boxes, including photos of electronic goods they say they received. Interestingly, while they were generally positive, one person complained about the time it took for the package to arrive, and another said that they wanted to exchange their box for another.

Currys confirmed that the page was not a legitimate Currys site. The company recommended that people contact the customer service team if they have doubts about sites or posts like this in the future.

“It’s very concerning to learn of such pages, which appear to be run by criminal actors making use of the Currys’ name and IP [intellectual property] to defraud members of the public,” a spokesperson told The Journal. 

It is one of a number of similar dodgy posts which have been posted on social media lately. The Journal has previously debunked a series of scam advertisements on social media suggesting that Dublin Airport is clearing out its warehouse by selling off unclaimed suitcases.

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