GREENSBORO, N.C. — I know you’ve seen it. Those online coupons. WFMY News 2 viewer Joyce messaged 2WTK with a fake Walmart coupon.
Here's the thing with these coupons that we all see on Facebook, a lot of us know they're fake but we like the post or share it anyway! WHY?!?! Because we think, ‘What does it hurt to like or share it even if there is only a 1% chance it's real?’.
Here's the danger in sharing or liking posts like this, scammers are able to get a look at your personal info, get your friends list, and you know what they do? They sell both for money. So, more scammers have access to you. Great. And if that's not bad enough, more ads will pop up in your news feeds.
So, how can you make sure a coupon or post is real?
First, go to the company's Facebook page to see if they posted it. For this example, we're using Walmart. If you don't find the coupon on the page, it's not real.
Second, some scammers make fake pages that look like the real thing. To verify you’re on the real page, look for the blue check by the name. Then, hover your mouse over the check. This box will pop up to show you it is a verified account.
How do you do it on your phone? While you’re on Facebook, go to the search bar and type in the company. If the search pops up the blue check, you know it's a real post.
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