According to a post that is currently being shared on Facebook, Alaska Airlines has announced that it is giving two free tickets to everyone who shares a link.
Supposedly, the ticket giveaway is to celebrate the company’s anniversary. The post, which claims that the giveaway is for today only, features a photograph of an Alaska Airline boarding pass.
However, the post is fraudulent. It has no connection to Alaska Airlines and those tricked into participating have no chance whatsoever of being sent any free airline tickets. And, no matter what day you click on the scam post, it will still claim to be for “today only”.
The post is a typical Facebook giveaway scam designed to trick you into submitting your personal information on suspect websites.
Alaska Airlines is warning people about this and similar scams via a post on its official Facebook Page. The post notes:
We love a good deal just as much as you! Unfortunately, several times each year, our team sees an influx of bogus promotions from websites pretending to be Alaska Airlines. The current “Anniversary Offer” is not a valid offer.
This is What Happens if You Click The Scam Post
If you fall for the ruse and click on the post, you will be taken to a scam website that first asks you to complete a short survey about your previous experiences with Alaska Airlines. The fake website includes the Alaska Airlines logo in an attempt to make it seem legitimate.
If you complete the survey, the page will pretend to check your answers before declaring you a winner. In reality, every visitor “wins” no matter what survey answers they provide.
Next, you will be instructed to share the page on Facebook and add the comment “Thanks!”. By tricking people into sharing and commenting, the scammers ensure that their fake giveaway is seen by more and more potential victims.
After sharing and commenting, you can then click the “Claim Free Tickets” link. However, you will not be taken to a prize claim form as you might expect. Instead, a scam website will load in your browser. The site promises the chance to win further prizes or get free products in exchange for providing your name and contact details.
But, if you proceed, your personal details will be shared with various third-party marketing companies and “site sponsors”. Thus, you will soon be inundated with unwanted marketing emails, text messages, and phone calls, touting a range of dodgy products and services.
These people should never be trusted with any of your personal information.
You’ll Never Get The Promised Free Tickets
Which scam website you are taken to depends on your location and other factors. But, no matter how many websites you provide your details on, you will never receive the promised Alaska Airline tickets. There ARE no tickets.
Free air ticket giveaways are common on Facebook. Don’t be fooled. No airline is ever likely to give away expensive air tickets to large numbers of Facebook users just for sharing a post.
Any post that makes such a claim is sure to be a scam.
A screenshot of the scam email:
A screenshot of the scam website:
Transcript of the scam post:
Alaska Air has announced that everyone who shares this link will be sent 2 FREE Tickets for it’s anniversary. TODAY ONLY.
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
