Scamwatch: Just Eat email warning

Stay one step ahead of the fraudsters with our series of articles giving you the lowdown on the scams they use to trick people out of their hard-earned cash - and how to avoid being taken in by them.

This week, we investigate how fraudsters have targeted users of popular takeaway ordering service Just Eat.

How does it work?
Just Eat has issued a warning to customers about a scam email attack designed to steal people's card details.

The scam emails seem realistic enough in that they offer the recipient £10 for filling in a customer service survey.

However, they are in fact "phishing" emails designed to allow the criminals sending them out to harvest customers' card details, which recipients are told to enter to take advantage of the deal.

Just Eat managing director Graham Corfield said: "Some customers are receiving particularly sophisticated scam emails.

"These emails look like they come from JUST EAT and ask you to enter personal and JUST EAT account details."

How can I avoid being caught out?
Never give out your personal details in an email, even if it appears to come from a trusted organisation.

In fact, treat any emails that ask for information of this kind with extreme caution.

Legitimate companies will never ask you to send them sensitive information such as your card details by email.

"We will never ask you to enter your JUST EAT account details or any personal information via email. And we don't store payment information or card details anywhere in our systems," Corfield said.

Other ways to spot fraudulent emails include when they include spelling mistakes or purport to be from a company you have a relationship with but start with a general greeting such as: "Dear customer".

I've been defrauded. What should I do?
If you are - or you think you might have been - a victim of this Just Eat scam, it is vital to contact your bank and any card providers so that they can secure your accounts as quickly as possible.

Prompt action is likely to help your case if your account is compromised and you have to ask the organisation to refund your losses.

You can also inform Just Eat by emailing the company's security team at security@just-eat.co.uk.