Outline:
Post being shared on Facebook claims that you can click to get a free Tim Hortons coupon worth $50.
Brief Analysis:
The post is not associated with Tim Hortons and those who participate will not receive the promised coupon. The post is a scam designed to trick users into spamming their friends and supplying their personal information on suspect survey websites.
Detailed Analysis:
According to a post currently being shared on Facebook, you can click to get a free Tim Hortons coupon valued at $50. The post, which features an image of the supposed coupon and the Tim Hortons logo, claims that the coupons are being given away as a means of celebrating the company’s 55th anniversary.
However, the post is fraudulent and those who participate will never receive the promised coupon. And, despite it’s use of the company’s name, the post is in no way associated with Tim Hortons. Instead, the post is a typical Facebook survey scam much like the many similar scams that proceed it.
If you click on the post in the hope of getting the promised coupon, you will be taken to a fraudulent webpage that has been designed to look like it is part of Facebook. Once on the webpage, you will be told that, before getting your coupon, you must share the page via Facebook and then send a direct link to the page to 15 Facebook friends.
After carrying out these two steps, you will then be redirected to another webpage, ostensibly so that you can claim your coupon. However, a popup on the page will claim that you must fill in a survey to ‘access premium content’ and get the coupon. The popup will contain a list of links.
Clicking the links opens various dodgy websites that promise the chance to win further prizes or sign up for free content by filling in brief surveys and supplying your name, home address, email address, and phone numbers. However, legal clauses on the sites will explain that, by participating, your are giving permission for the sites to share your personal information with site sponsors and marketing companies. Thus, soon after participating, you will start receiving unwanted and annoying phone calls, text messages, emails, and surface letters that peddle a variety of products and services.
Alternatively, the survey sites may simply ask for your mobile phone number. However, the fine print will state that, by entering your number, you are subscribing to an ongoing SMS ‘service’ that will charge you several dollars each and every time they send you a text message.
Meanwhile, the scammers responsible for the fake Tim Horton’s promotion will earn commissions each time users supply their details on one of the survey sites.
And, no matter how many surveys you complete, you will never get the promised coupon, which never existed to begin with. The genuine Tim Hortons Facebook Page has confirmed via replies to readers that it did not issue the coupons featured in the bogus promotion.
Scams like this one are very common and have used the names of many high profile companies around the world. Be wary of any Facebook post that claims that you can win store coupons or other valuable prizes just by sharing and participating in online surveys.
Last updated: June 6, 2016
First published: June 6, 2016
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer
References
Scam Post Promises Facebook Users Free $50 Tim Hortons Tim Cards
What is a Facebook Survey Scam?
Facebook Survey Scams
Tim Hortons Facebook Page
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.net/free-tim-hortons-50-coupon-facebook-survey-scam/