Don't fall for this coupon scam on Facebook

Don't fall for this coupon scam on Facebook

By Kevin Downey

PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK/KROGER

It's easy to brush off Facebook scams as nothing but a minor annoyance. After all, you hear about Facebook scams every day.

Some are silly, like a recent "Christmas bonus" scam that probably didn't fool too many people. Facebook is giving away money for Christmas? Unlikely.

Still, you can't just dismiss Facebook scams. Some of them are costly, like a woman who lost $44,550 to help her would-be fiance return to America.

Now, there's word of a Facebook scam involving a tempting coupon, to save money at a major grocery store. It sounds like a harmless scam, but it isn't. In fact, it's scary because you could end up sharing your personal information with cyber criminals.

You may see a 40% off Kroger coupon on Facebook. It's easy to get fooled.



This Facebook scam gets points for being convincing. It looks like a Kroger coupon, saying you can save 40% on your shopping until the end of the year, and all you have to do is say "thanks" under comments.

The problem begins when you click on the coupon, so you can print it out. If you do, you're taken to a bogus site.

There, you're asked to fill out personal information. There may also be links that would infect your device with malware.

Kroger posted a warning about the coupon scam on Facebook (see photo above): "This is currently an unauthorized 40% off all purchase in store offer circulating.

"This giveaway is not affiliated with, or supported by the Kroger Co. in any way. We recommend not engaging with sites that offer links to the coupon, or providing them with any personal information. Our team is actively working with Facebook and domain service providers to address the concern."