A free $75 Costco coupon that has been making the rounds on social media turned out to be too good to be true, the wholesale giant announced.
“Despite several posts out there, Costco is NOT giving away $75 coupons. While we love our fans and our members, this offer is a SCAM, and in no way affiliated with Costco,” the company said. “Thanks to our fans for letting us know about this recurring hoax!”
The phony coupon first cropped up on Facebook earlier this year, causing some users to unwittingly click on a link unaffiliated with Costco to collect their coupon. To gain access, some shared the post on Facebook and submitted personal information.
"It is an unfortunate fact of the Internet that at any given time there are numerous illegitimate pop-up ads, surveys, websites, emails, social media posts and advertisements that purport to be from or authorized by Costco. It is unlikely that Costco is affiliated with these promotions," Costco said on its website.
"The best policy is to stop and think before you click. Delete any questionable emails and texts, and be suspicious of any posts or ads with offers that are too good to be true.”
The company noted that:
- Unsolicited electronic communications from Costco do not ask for your personal information such as username, password, credit card information, birth date or Social Security number. Never provide personal information in response to an electronic communication;
- If you receive an order confirmation for something you did not order from Costco.com, do not click on any links or open any attachments;
- If you receive a communication that looks like it is from Costco, check to see who sent it. Be aware of typos and misspellings and, in particular, of return addresses and contact links that do not end with a plain “@costco.com.” When in doubt, don’t respond;
- Be particularly cautious of pop-up solicitations, job-finding sites, and opportunities to win Costco Shop Cards;
- Review the terms and conditions of any Costco-related app before downloading to ensure that the app is a genuine Costco app, created and supported by Costco.
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