Watch Out for Aldi Facebook Scam

A Facebook post, claiming you can get a $75 gift card to Aldi, is circulating in social media, but the experts at hoax-slayer.net warn users that this is a scam.

Hoax-slayer says this post “is in no way associated with Aldi but is a scam designed to trick Facebook users into spamming their friends and supplying their personal information on suspect survey websites.”

The post, features the Aldi logo and claims that the giveaway is to celebrate the company’s 125th anniversary (however, Aldi was founded in 1913, so this is not their 125th anniversary.)

How it works:

Facebook users have to click on the $75 Aldi gift card post to claim their gift card.

However, if you click on the post, you will be taken to a website that claims that, before getting your gift card, you must first share the site on Facebook and then send a direct link to the site to 15 Facebook friends.

After sharing and sending the link as instructed, you will still not get to claim your gift card. Instead, clicking the claim button will display a popup window that states that you must verify your entry by participating in a survey or offer. The window will contain a list of links for you to choose from.

The links open various websites that promise the chance to win further prizes in exchange for supplying your name, home address, email address, and phone numbers. However, legal fine print on the sites will state that, by submitting your information, you are giving permission for the sites to share your information with third-party marketers. These marketing firms will soon begin calling or texting you with various offers or deals or sending you promotional material via email and surface mail.

And, the scammers who created the fake Aldi gift card post will earn money via affiliate commissions each time somebody provides personal information on one of the competition websites.

Facebook scams like this one are very common. New versions appear almost every day. Do not trust any Facebook post or Page that claims that you can win gift cards, vouchers, or other valuable prizes just by sharing and participating in offers or surveys.