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What would happen if you clicked on that fake $80 Wegmans 'coupon'?
Another too-good-to-be-true coupon went viral on Facebook Thursday, this time offering $80 off a purchase at Wegmans.Try to find ways to save much money? discountscat is the best place for you to get coupons, vouchers and deals to help you save much money on your purchase. To get more news about Keurig Coupons, you can visit discountscat official website.
Once clicked, it takes you to an inane three-question survey ("Have you ever shopped at Wegmans? Yes/No/Don't Remember). At the end, you're prompted to share the same link on Facebook with the message "Thanks #Wegmans", then go back to the survey and click the "like" button posted beneath it. Once you're done, you'll allegedly receive your coupon.n this case, it's to ensnare your friends and lead you to a fake rewards website where more malicious web attacks await.
But it's just one of an ever increasing number of ways thieves have devised to infiltrate your computer or Facebook page where they can gain access to sensitive information and even your bank account.
Sometimes you'll receive what looks like a video on Facebook Instant Messenger, with a message from your friend that says, "Is this you?! I can't believe it!" Intrigued (or worried), you click. Automatically, the same "video" link and private message go out to each of your Facebook friends. When they click, the same happens, and on and on. Then, congratulations! You've all been infected.
Sometimes the schemes are slightly less nefarious, as is the case with "like farming." You've seen those posts that say something like, "Like and share this post if you hate cancer!" Well, who doesn't hate cancer? Or "For every share, this sick child will get $1 toward her medical treatment." Boy, gotta support that.
Except once the page or post has collected enough likes, the scammer will delete the original content. They will then either sell the page to someone who will replace it with their own content or replace it themselves with ads for scam products.
And that's just a small taste of what's waiting out there.Here's how the Wegmans coupon scam works:When you share the link on your page, it looks like you're vouching for its authenticity, which leads people who trust you to click on it and try it for themselves.
Next, when you click the "like" button, you aren't "liking" a Facebook page at all. The underlying code reroutes you to a professional-looking "Flash Rewards", which promises a $100 gift card "*upon completion of purchase requirements."
The Flash Rewards website is classified as a "browser hijacker," which modifies your web browser without your permission. Browser hijackers usually force pop-ups and other advertising in order to drive traffic to a website and increase its advertising revenue.
But it can also contain spyware, which could monitor your keystrokes and steal passwords for things like banking and credit card websites.
But wait, there's more! If you want to sign up for Flash Rewards (and why wouldn't you? You sure liked that Wegmans coupon), you'll have to list personal information including your address, phone number and birthday. And to qualify for that gift card, you'll have to complete an endless array of steps: join this mailing list, subscribe to this service, fill out that 20-minute-long survey.
That opens the floodgates. From there, you'll be deluged with all kinds of spammy and scammy offers ("Work from home!" "Free watch – just pay shipping!"), sent by email, phone, text message. They may come from the original scammer, scammers who paid the original scammer for your information, or new scammers you gave information to when you engaged with new offers.Want to get the highest quality products with the lowest prices while shopping?Click to Buy |