Watch Out For Fake Coupons Online
There are thousands of deals online and it is getting harder to tell which are real and which are fake. Now that we are spending more time online during the lockdown. here's what you should be aware of. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), they are warning consumers that are spending a lot of time on social media of scam coupons that pop up on Facebook. Many of the coupons are fake or counterfeit.
The scam works in many different ways but here is what to look for. The most frequent fake coupons that are circulating right now are from Bath & Body Works, Starbucks, Aldi, Costco, and Trader Joe's. You should look for these coupons to offer one hundred dollars and free merchandise. They ask you to share the coupon on social media. People then click and reshare the posts. The link will take them to a third party website that will ask for the person's information in order to receive the discount and code. When the person puts in their personal information, viruses and malware are downloaded. In the end, the consumer never receives a voucher or coupon.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) wants you to know that if the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. The major giveaway that the voucher is fake is that the coupon does not have an expiration date. They encourage you to do a web search to see if the offer is real. Never give your personal information for a coupon. A real one will never ask you for that. This indicates that it is a scam.