Starbucks 50th Anniversary Scam: How It Works
Starbucks’ 50th anniversary takes place this year, as the Seattle-based giant turns 5 decades of being a leader in the coffee industry. However, the occasion is widely referenced by cybercrooks, the last example being the Starbucks Anniversary Scam that is making its rounds on Facebook. How does it work? The bogus Starbucks promo promises a $100 gift card if you do one thing. The scam is very similar to the one that was used in the Free Gift Card Scam.
Below is a screenshot of the Facebook post that’s been published by the fake account:
Once you click on the link, your page redirects to a poorly designed page where the scammer invites you to insert your email address. Also, you need to create a password and submit your credit card info.
It’s for a small fee of $1.25 that every winner/recipient has to pay – as tax, they say.
There are many red flags about this bogus Starbucks Anniversary Scam. First of all, there are many grammar mistakes and spelling errors throughout the promo.
Second, any domain that looks like the one in the image above (gybvsgszy.wdt8q06.cn) tells you that you should stay away, especially if you see “.cn” (China) as an extension.
Third, Starbucks turns 50, not 60! It was open on March 31, 1971.
This Starbucks anniversary scam is just on Facebook to lure you into submitting your personal information, including the credit card number. Most of the Facebook scams or phishing scams are the same.
Meanwhile, beware of other common shady schemes such as the Amazon 30th Anniversary Scam or Chick-fil-A Gift Basket Scam.
Starbucks Scam: How to Avoid
However, the Starbucks scam could be framed in many angles, which could lead anywhere from identity theft to installing malware on your computer. To summarize best, stay away from promos that have weird letters and emoticons. The big companies never give away gift cards like this.
Criminals use the Starbucks brand as well as other food/hospitality industry organizations like Burger King or McDonald’s. Please add your experience below and feel free to report the scammers. How can you do that?
Starbucks Anniversary Scam: How To Report
Let your friends know about the Starbucks Anniversary Scam by sharing this article on your platforms. You can also report criminals or any other suspicious activity to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) using the link below:
How To Protect Yourself More
If you want to be one of the first people to find out the most prevalent scams weekly, subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You will receive periodic emails – not spam at all.
Meanwhile, educate yourself with some other Facebook fraud-related articles under this paragraph, so that you know how to stay safe online. Also, use the comments section to expose other scammers.
Gift Card Scams: Full List
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