Walmart warns customers against fake social media giveaway
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Officials from Walmart are warning customers not to fall for a giveaway circulating on social media that company officials have labeled a scam.
On Tuesday, a fake Walmart account posted a photo of five people standing in front of a group of cloth grocery bags with a caption that reads: “To celebrate the great news of Walmart becoming plastic bags free by the end of 2021, we are giving one of these Walmart gift-bags to everyone who has shared & commented by 7pm 24th March."
The post promises a "gift bag full of goodies and a $75 Walmart voucher” to each person who does.
Customers are then asked to follow a shortened Bitly link, which can obscure the actual link. Those who click on it are taken to an unsecure website to validate their entry.
“This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Walmart," Walmart spokesperson Casey Staheli said. "We take any fraud impacting our customers seriously and continue to implement and improve upon measures designed to help guard against various consumer scams."
The post included several consumer red flags, including poorly edited photos with superimposed Walmart logos.