Scammers are targeting consumers with fake coupons during the Mother’s Day season, according to Francine Giani, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce.
The scammers post fake coupons on Facebook for stores like Target, Lowe’s and Bed, Bath and Beyond. The link offers a coupon in exchange for a personal address and bank account and/or credit card information.
“Don’t click the link or enter any personal information,” Giani said in a press release. “Instead call the retailer directly to see what deals are real.”
The press release includes the following tips to avoid phishing scams:
- Be cautious about opening links or attachments from social media posts, emails, or texts regardless of who sent them.
- Don’t enter or email personal or financial information. Social media sites and email are not secure methods of transmitting personal information.
- Only provide personal or financial information through an organization’s website if you typed in the web address yourself and you see signals that the site is secure, like a URL that begins with “https” (the “s” stands for secure).
- Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges.
