“Sobeys is giving $75 coupons for everyone to celebrate Mothers’ Day,” says a website link, with an image of a coupon bearing the Canadian grocery store chain’s logo and “Better food for all” slogan along with a bar and QR codes.
Anyone who clicks on the link will be taken to an online survey and given directions to share the link on Facebook in order to claim the discount. The offer is believed to be a phishing scam, used to gather personal information.
“We are aware of a $75 Mothers Day coupon circulating on Facebook and would like to let our customers know that this is not a valid offer or one that we are affiliated with. We do apologize about any confusion and thank our customers for bringing this to our attention.”
It’s not the first fake coupon to make the rounds on Facebook — similar coupons for Costco, Starbucks, Home Depot and Bed, Bath and Beyond have also been circulating, among others.
Here are tips from the Better Business Bureau on how to avoid online coupon scams:
• Beware of rewards that seem too good to be true. A $75 coupon with no purchase necessary? Not likely.
• Don’t necessarily believe it just because it looks legitimate. It’s not hard to steal the logos, colours and slogans of established businesses. Scammers can also make links look like they lead to legitimate websites.
• When in doubt, do a web search. If the coupon is a scam, you’ll likely find an alert or information from the business’ real website, with more information.
