In the last couple of days, three people have shared the Costa UK ‘freebie’ on Facebook, and I’m certainly not the only one to have received it, as the post has 24,000 shares so far. Yikes!
There is nothing I hate more than a scammer because so often, it’s vulnerable people who get hurt by it.
If you know any older people especially on social, let them know about this scam because it’s getting everywhere.
What is the Costa UK scam?
The facebook page is set up to look like Costa’s Facebook page, but renamed Costa UK. This fake page is running a competition promising free coffees for shares.
It says:
From now until Christmas day every share will get a sent a voucher for a free Coffee. Only 1 per person.
It’s horribly written and not professional at all, but literally tens of thousands of people are sharing and falling for it.
I see these kinds of scams all the time. They often pretend that someone hasn’t claimed a prize like a car, but if you share it, you’re in with a chance.
What’s in it for the scammer?
Sounds a bit of a weird scam, right? They’re not asking you for money or anything – so what are these scammer getting out of it?
Well, they’re harvesting your information which you give them when you share. That information is then likely to be sold onto the black market for criminals to buy.
How to tell if a page is fake
When liking/sharing etc, you really do have to be careful on Facebook. It’s not known to police its platform very well, allowing criminals to run havoc.
It’s about using your gut, but here are some tips:
- Big companies are likely to blue ticks that verify them as real
- These scammers can rarely spell, so if it reads badly, it could be a sign
- The pages are likely to be new, and not have much information on there, apart from the competition.
If you’re worried at all, check to see if the brand has a real, verified page on Facebook that looks for legitimate.
Just use your head.
What should you do?
First off, report the fake page to Facebook, so hopefully, they’ll take it down.
To do that, click the three dots next to the brand name, then select ‘give feedback or report this page’, and then select ‘Fraud or Scam’ – then ‘Fake Page’.
If you have shared and like it, undo it. Then take a look at the website Have I Been Pwned to see if your details have been sold on. If they have, change your passwords ASAP.
It might be worth sharing this with your parent’s/grandparents because often they’re the ones who fall for this kind of thing. It will mean they can look out for the Costa scam