Family Dollar Coupon: $75.30 Gift Voucher Joins List of Coupon Scams On Facebook
A Family Dollar coupon offering customers a $75.30 gift voucher is making waves on Facebook!
However, after paying close attention to the details of the offer, it’s apparently clear that it’s a fraudulent coupon. However, it has quite a few elements that make it seem like an authentic savings opportunity.
First, the company logo for Family Dollar is presented in two different areas on the coupon. It also has a bar code and a short list of “terms and conditions” featured in the fine print of the coupon. However, this Family Dollar coupon also has a few suspicious elements as well. For instance, the amount of the fraudulent gift voucher draws a major red flag, especially since it’s not a flat dollar amount (such as $75).
The sense of urgency is also presented on this fraudulent Family Dollar coupon since the marked expiration date is April 30, 2016. Therefore, when sharing and posting the Family Dollar coupon on Facebook, it is designed to draw attention for those frugal consumers that do not want to miss the window of a great savings opportunity.
However, perhaps one of the biggest “red flag” elements proving the Family Dollar coupon is fake is the headline of the post: “Get a Free Family Dollar $75.30 Gift Card to celebrate 50th Birthday.”
Leon Levine looked for oil stains in parking lots when he scouted locations for Family Dollar stores. Here’s why: http://t.co/QnTqhQBMUP
— Jeremy Markovich (@deftlyinane) April 10, 2014
The first Family Dollar variety store was founded by Leon Levine in 1959, according to the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame. The company celebrated its 50th birthday in 2009 — not in April of 2016.
However, making it seem as if a popular company is celebrating an anniversary makes it much easier for most consumers to trust sales, specials, and discounts that would have otherwise seemed unrealistic and questionable.
The website link posted on the Family Dollar coupon, FamilyDollar.com-oos.com, is not an official website for Family Dollar. Clicking the link will actually transfer you to a separate website. The website encourages consumers to follow two steps in order to redeem their gift voucher. The first step is to share the same coupon on your own Facebook page, essentially allowing the fraudulent Family Dollar coupon to continue spreading.
Financing provided for two new Family Dollar stores. https://t.co/rdD603FTUV #Q10KDH #CRE #Retail pic.twitter.com/fofFN5WBfa
— Q10 KDH (@q10kdh) April 13, 2016
Family Dollar is not the only company name being used to circulate fraudulent coupons on social media. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there are similar coupons being posted and shared that claim to be from such companies as JCPenney, ALDI, and Walmart.
The Better Business Bureau issued a warning about these types of fraudulent coupons and gift cards back in 2014.
“Don’t believe what you see. It’s easy to steal the colors, logos and header of an established organization. Scammers can also make links look like they lead to legitimate websites and emails appear to come from a different sender. Legitimate businesses do not ask for credit card numbers or banking information on customer surveys… Watch out for a reward that’s too good to be true… Few businesses can afford to give away $50 gift cards for completing a few questions.”
When it comes to finding legitimate Family Dollar coupons and specials, the best source to research is the company itself. The company’s official website offers numerous printable coupons that can be used without any fraudulent strings attached.
[Image via Adobe Stock]
