A viral Facebook scam is claiming one can sign up for a $200 free Macy’s gift card, but it should be avoided.
The scam, which has a “magic of Macy’s” title, is nothing more than a scam designed to spread bogus surveys. The surveys are how the cybercriminals behind the scam make their money.
“Complete these 3 simple steps below to get Your $200 Macy’s Gift Card!” it also says. The website URL with the scam is getprize. pw/?0j5wT1g (don’t click on it).
Hoax-debunking site Snopes.com says that the “official Macy’s Facebook page was deluged in queries. The brand’s social media managers responded, confirming that the $200 Macy’s gift card offer was fake and that all contests are run through their official page.”
Macy’s offered a response, essentially saying it’s fake.
“Currently, we are not running any giveaways. Any official Macy’s contests are shared by us, through our official Facebook page and other social channels. Thank you again for asking!” the retailer said on Facebook.
Similar scams--like one that promises a free $100 Kohl’s gift card--have gone viral in recent months.
“Also, they may ask you to complete surveys in order to receive your gift card. But, it doesn’t matter how much surveys you complete, you will never receive any Kmart gift cards. The scammers, on the other hand, will get paid for each competed survey,” says Online Threat Alerts about the scams.
It adds: “But, by liking,commenting on and sharing this scam, you are only helping to spread it to other Facebook users and making the scammers responsible for this, earn money. Scammers earn money when they make a page popular and are able to sell it to the highest bidder, along with the names and other public information of the persons who liked or shared the scam.”
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