How to tell if a Facebook coupon or promo codes are fakes, scams, or hoaxes

It makes a lot of sense, the more that the population stays home without access to the things they need or want, the more people are going to rely on shopping online. Due to the rise in the online activity comes an increase in retail scams, fake coupons and other discount hoaxes according to the BBB. And no surprise, the vast majority of the scams were usually spread and found on Facebook and other social media sites.

Too good to be true

These type of hoaxes often offered up a huge savings, promo codes and coupons to catch the eye of unsuspecting consumers. These fake discounts would then be shared by others and shared again, going viral.

Some of the big brands and retailers that you might find on Facebook advertising too-good-to-be-true discounts such as Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, Denny’s, Costco, and even Goodwill. Most of the time, these discounts are hoaxes.

These scam postings will include a hyperlink that the user has to click in order to redeem the promo code which would then take them to a site that is not the actual retailer. That site might look like the retailer, and appear harmless, but it’s often an underhanded attempt to obtain  credit card information, personal data, or installing malware onto your computer.

Assume all Facebook coupons are scams

So be skeptical and be careful when you see a coupon being shared on social media.

The biggest thing is to not let your excitement take over. Take a step back and assess the situation by gauging your risk as you would putting down a lot money down at https://www.indiana-betting.com/, for example. So be calm and allow your brain make the decision. Think about whether the coupon makes sense from a business standpoint — does giving thousands of consumers $75 off $80 make much sense?

If the coupon seems to be too good to be true, it very much likely is. That said, if you must click on the link, first do the following five things to vet that promotion.

First, be pessimistic with everything then verify that the link will take you to the actual retailer’s site by hovering over it to preview the website URL. Did the original post come from that retailer’s social media account?

While you’re looking at the website address, look to see if the website is secure with a “https” in front of the URL. If it doesn’t, it’s not a site you should be using.

Whether the site is a secure or unsecure website, don’t share any data or information until you are completely 100% positive that this is legitimate and can confirm their authenticity.

You can also check if it’s a scam by checking the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker which also allows you to report scams.

Some popular Facebook coupon scams

There are so many coupon scams that can be found on Facebook. As we researched these, we found that there were several popular coupon hoaxes that have

Other crazy discount coupons include Kohls, Disneyland, Kroger, Aldi, Home Depot, Dollar General, Target, HyVee, and so many more.