Scam Message:

Receive $100 Starbucks Gift Card for FREE (Official) – (Event Invitation)

Scam Type: Bogus Offer, Fake Event, Survey Scam

Trending: June 2012

Why it’s a Scam:

The scam is spreading via Facebook Event invitations. If you notice the directions shown above, victims of this scam think they will receive more vouchers based on the number of friends they invite.

Step 3 requires users to click on a blogspot.com URL. This should be a red flag. For one thing, why would Starbucks use Blogspot to run a promotion, and you should also be aware of the fact that a lot of scams are hosted on Blogspot as well. Clicking the scam link takes you to the following page:

Here we see a very polished and nice Starbucks graphic, but don’t let the good looks fool you. Reading the fine print reveals that you have complete several ‘reward offers,’ and these will cost you real money. Also keep in mind that your personal data will be shared with other marketers, sponsors, scammers – whatever you want to to call them! You are usually required to provide your name, address, phone numbers and date of birth. This will enable the shady marketers to not only spam your Facebook account, but also harass you via snail mail, phone calls and text messages.

**Note – Scams like this often use multiple domains, so you may see a variation in the landing pages and scam messages.

How to Deal with the Scam:

If you did make the mistake of sharing the scam link, then you are now spamming your friends with the very same message. Clean-up your newsfeed and profile to remove references to the scam. (click the “x” in the top right hand corner of the post).

Be on the lookout for more marketing offers arriving to your email inbox and physical address if you submitted that information to the scammers. Also be aware and alert for possible identity theft attempts.

If you submitted your cell phone for any of the surveys or offers, then keep an eye on your cell phone bill to make sure no premium charges appear.

If you or your Facebook friends are falling for tricks like this, it’s time to get yourself informed of the latest threats. Be sure to join the Facecrooks page on Facebook to be kept informed of the latest security issues. Also check out:

Your Ultimate Guide to Facebook Scams and How to Deal with Them

How to spot a Facebook Survey Scam

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Recommended Resources

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BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams like this.

PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.

Action Alert | Free Parental Control offers a 100% free Internet safety solution designed for parents. There is also a Maximum Protection option for parents that need a more advanced set of tools.