consumer $100 free grocery coupon: real or fake? Before you head to the store with that free coupon, it might be too good to be true. . It sounds like a great deal: Spend $110, and get $100 in groceries free. That's what coupons for Aldo and Kroger claim, coupons that are going viral on Facebook this month, with thousands of people sharing them with their friends. "All my friends have shared it. And some of them are saying great big thanks on top of it," Facebook user Karen Sowards said. But customers who examined the coupon closely got suspicious — it has a lot of fine print and requirements. Steven Frost said "I'd be skeptical of it, naturally skeptical." It turns out the coupon is fraudulent, and worse, may contain malware that can infect your PC, according to security experts. Two such coupons are now circulating: one is for Kroger, the other for Aldi. Both are fraudulent. Kroger has now released a statement on its Facebook page and website warning shoppers against trying to use the coupon. Social media makes it easy for innocent deal-hunters to potentially become complicit by unknowingly using a fraudulent coupon they found online. In May, Lowe's home improvement customers were scammed by a false offer that also was spread over Facebook. In this case, users were asked to share a Facebook post that included the Lowe's logo, then comment on the original post. In February, a similar scam tempted Target shoppers online. It offered a $100 food and beverage coupon simply for sharing a post on Facebook. The non-profit Coupon Information Corporation, a retail fraud awareness group, keeps a running database of known fraudulent coupons on its website. The C.I.C says to be suspicious of all coupons for free items, never buy coupons, as many are fake, and be wary of any coupon shared on Facebook. Close Ad
