A Facebook post that claims Lowe’s is giving away 50% off coupons is fake and a potential phishing scam.
Similar posts have surfaced on Facebook in the past, but all of the offers have two things in common — there is no coupon and the companies mentioned in the posts are not participating in the “promotion.”
If you click on the link in the post, it takes you to a website where you are instructed to share the post and “like” a Facebook page. Similar scams have been linked to companies including Amazon, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Costco.
Dozens of people have posted on the Lowe’s Facebook page asking about the promotion. Lowe’s has responded to the posts by saying:
“Unfortunately this promotion on Facebook is a phishing scam and is not connected with Lowe’s in any way.
Please be careful when responding to any pop up ad either online or via social media; as, more often than not, the offer of gift cards or other prizes to customer’s in the guise of a specific company are set up to get your personal information for nefarious purposes.”
The Better Business Bureau offers these tips for helping you identify a scam on Facebook:
- Don’t believe what you see. It’s easy to steal the colors, logos and header of an established organization. Scammers can also make links look like they lead to legitimate websites and emails appear to come from a different sender.
- Legitimate businesses do not ask for credit card numbers or banking information on customer surveys. If they do ask for personal information, like an address or email, be sure there’s a link to their privacy policy.
- Watch out for a reward that’s too good to be true. If the survey is real, you may be entered in a drawing to win a gift card or receive a small discount off your next purchase. Few businesses can afford to give away $50 gift cards for completing a few questions.
