‘This Offer Is A SCAM’: Stop Sharing That $75 Costco Coupon
Nov 13, 2019, 7:42 AM | Updated: 7:45 am
Costco released a statement on Facebook Nov. 13, 2019 that a coupon circulating on social media is a fake.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Costco took to Facebook to notify members that a coupon making the rounds is not legitimate.
“Despite several posts out there, Costco is NOT giving away $75 coupons,” the statement read. “While we love our fans and our members, this offer is a SCAM, and in no way affiliated with Costco. Thanks to our fans for letting us know about this recurring hoax!”
Despite several posts out there, Costco is NOT giving away $75 coupons. While we love our fans and our members, this…
Posted by Costco on Tuesday, November 12, 2019
The coupon is linked to a website that directs users to answer questions “for your chance to get a Costco Coupon.” The website URL differs from post to post.
According to the Better Business Bureau, social media users should be on the lookout for certain red flags when a deal pops up. These can include “spelling and grammatical errors in the advertisements, and poor quality images.”
In the coupon post, the headline reads: “Costco has announced that everyone who shares this link will be sent a $75 Coupon for it’s anniversary. TODAY ONLY.”
Note the improper use of “it’s” and the arbitrary capitalization of “Coupon.”
The website itself hoists a red flag when users click on the link: “This offer is independently organized, who has no relationship – including affiliation or sponsorship – with the manufacturers of the products displayed,” according to the linked website.
The coupon itself appears to be a very blurry screenshot of a coupon for a specific store, although the “$75” is much sharper, indicating it was added digitally.
At best, customers who take the picture directly from Facebook will find out the coupon isn’t valid if they try to use it at stores. At worst, customers will actually click through to the website and begin answering questions.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the scammers could be attempting to gather your email address and access your social media friends list in order to sell that information to spammers. They could also be attempting to get you to click their site in order to generate ad revenue.
“More harmful cases may actually install malicious software on your computer by getting you to first download a bogus ‘coupon installer’ to print your coupon,” according to the Identity Theft Resource Center.
Best practice? Ignore anything that asks you to enter any of your information in order to receive a freebie.
