According to a post that is being shared on Facebook, Costco is giving all Facebook users a gift voucher valued at $41.
Supposedly, Costco has launched this “limited time offer” as a means of celebrating its anniversary. The post features an image that depicts one of the $41 vouchers.
However, the post is fraudulent. It has no connection to Costco and people who participate will not receive the promised coupon. The message is a typical Facebook giveaway scam designed to trick you into promoting the fraudulent post and divulging your personal information on suspect websites.
Clicking the post takes you to a website that asks you to complete a survey about shopping at Costco. The site will then pretend to check your answers and select you as a winner of the voucher. In reality, all visitors are chosen as “winners” regardless of the survey answers they provide.
The fake page then instructs you to click a Facebook “share” button, click “like”, and then add the comment “Thanks for my voucher”. Liking, sharing, and commenting further promotes the scam, which will gather more and more victims as it travels. And, because you endorsed the post by liking, sharing, and commenting, at least some of your family and friends may also fall for the ruse and participate.
After you have liked, shared, and commented, the page will “verify” your entry and instruct you to click a link to complete the voucher claim process.
The link opens a dodgy website that asks you to provide your name, email address, home address, and phone numbers for a chance to win further prizes.
However, the site will give all of the information you provide to unscrupulous marketing companies who will then inundate you with annoying phone calls, emails, text messages, and letters offering a range of dubious products and services.
The scammers operating the fake giveaway are paid a commission each time somebody provides details on one of the linked websites.
Giveaway scams like this are widespread and new versions appear on Facebook every day. The scammers repeatedly use the names of many well-known companies around the world.
If one of these fake giveaway posts comes your way, don’t be tempted to participate. You have no chance whatsoever of getting the promised giveaway, and you will be aiding and abetting online crooks.
A screenshot of the scam post:
A screenshot of the scam web page:
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
