Grocery giant Coles has been caught up in an online scam offering free $500 gift cards to the supermarket.
Like the great majority of internet theft, the scam required people to hand over personal details and forward on a web link.
"Please be aware the Free $500 Gift Card for Coles link that appeared on Facebook and was distributed via email last night (Monday) is a hoax and that Coles did not create or endorse this website," the Coles website said.
"We issued a warning on our page as soon as this came to our attention."
"We are very sorry that some of our customers have been misled by this site."
The supermarket has passed details of the scam on to the retail watchdog.
However, Coles has suggested anyone who has responded to the scam should immediately contact their financial institution to seek further advice.
