I’m highlighting these two scams because I think thirty-seven of my own relatives have shared them on Facebook. This, despite the fact that I basically scream from the rooftops that all offers even remotely like this are big fat scams. Anybody out there listening?
I’m going to do it again. I’ll also leave this post open and easy to share with non-members of Cyn’s Tech Tips. This stuff is important. Why? Because people who fall for them are doing more than just getting duped. They’re exposing themselves and others to dangerous malware.
First, we’ll look at this coupon that claims to be from Kroger grocery stores. It promises $100 coupon to everyone who shares the link.
Meet its evil sibling, the Lowe’s coupon. This one promises $150 bucks simply for sharing.
The number one thing that should tell you this is absolute malarky, is that with more than 200 million people in the U.S. alone with Facebook accounts, these stores would potentially give away $20 billion dollars to consumers without requiring so much as a purchase. Does that sound realistic to you?
Once you click on these links, you’ll be taken to sites that purport to show surveys. Often these surveys are pretty poorly worded.
These sites most often contain malware that can attack your phone or computer. When you click on those buttons, you could be authorizing downloads of browser add-ons or adding yourself to mailing lists. These people are not honest. Sometimes, these scammers will approach people via messenger to tell them they’ve won, but they need just a bit of information about you before you can claim your prize. Whatever the case, these are scams and these folks have bad intentions.
They use what’s called ‘social engineering’ to get you to pass on their scams by requesting shares.
Another take on this scam is this fake Kroger giveaway that asks that you like and share their Facebook page.
If you go to the alleged Kroger page, you’ll find it only has a couple of posts.
Click on Page transparency to learn the history of the page and you’ll see that it was created the same day the posts were made.
Pages like this are created for two reasons. One is to get a list of people to target for spam and scams. They figure if you’ll go for this scam, there’s no reason you won’t fall for others. The other reason is called “like farming.” They get you to like a page that claims to be for Kroger or some other legitimate business, then they switch the name to something else once they get a whole bunch of likes. This way it looks as if you like their product or their cause.
Posts like these are always scams. ALWAYS. STOP. SHARING. THEM.
That is all.