SAN ANTONIO – "No store does more," may be H-E-B's slogan, but giving away $200 to 1,000 people is not part of that.
A voucher giveaway on Facebook that claims to be from the Texas-based grocer is fake, according to a a spokesperson.
Recommended Videos
In the viral posts, the scam site reads, "H-E-B is giving away 1000 vouchers to celebrate their birthday." When a user clicks on the post, it directs them to "hebpromotion.com." The homepage, riddled with typos and grammatical errors, which is a common indicator of a scam, has a headline that reads, "200$ voucher calling your name!"
It goes on to say, "Here at HEB we appreciate our customers. That's why we decided to giveaway 1000 Gift Vouchers (200$ each) for free! All you need to do is give us your email to send it, and aswer few questions. So, hurry up!."
There is then a two-question survey before the website asks for an email address.
H-E-B spokesperson Julie Bedingfield released the following statement to KSAT 12:
"Yes, we are aware of this scam. The coupon is not affiliated with, or endorsed by H-E-B and is fraudulent. Customers can always find out latest offers at heb.com/coupons."
According to the Better Business Bureau, social media has become very popular for scammers, particularly Facebook. From a quiz to sweepstakes, user data is increasingly valuable to online criminals.
The bureau offered a few tips on how to keep your information safe from social media scams:
- Be skeptical: Before you take a quiz,or click a link, figure out who created it. Is it a brand you trust?
- Author's note: it's important to note that the scam in question used H-E-B's likeness, but not its actual website, which is https://www.heb.com.
- Adjust privacy settings: Review your social media account's privacy settings and be strict about what information you share.
- Remove personal details from your profile: Don't share information such as your phone number or address on social media accounts.
- Do not accept friend requests from people you don't know.