A VERIFY viewer asked if Kroger is really giving away a free $150 coupon for the company’s anniversary — it’s not. Similar coupon scams have circulated since 2013.
Kroger is one of the largest supermarket chains in the United States.
Since the company was founded in 1883, the brand has grown from a single grocery store in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, to nearly 2,800 stores in 35 states.
On Facebook, a third-party website is claiming Kroger is currently giving a free $150 coupon to everyone in celebration of the company’s anniversary. VERIFY viewer Sandra asked if this promotion is real or a scam.
THE QUESTION
Is Kroger giving everyone a free $150 anniversary coupon?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, Kroger is not giving everyone a free $150 anniversary coupon.
WHAT WE FOUND
Kroger is not giving away a free $150 coupon to everyone in celebration of the company’s anniversary. Erin Rolfes, Kroger’s director of media relations and corporate communications, told VERIFY in an email that this is not a valid promotion.
Kroger shares hundreds of digital coupons with its customers on its website each week. VERIFY could not find any information about a $150 anniversary coupon promotion on the supermarket chain’s site.
VERIFY found that the fake coupon is currently in circulation on Facebook. When people click on the link, it sends them to a third-party website that is not affiliated with Kroger. Instead, the coupon is linked to exclusivedeals.africa.com, which Google flags as “dangerous” and “deceptive.” After bypassing Google’s warning, we found that the site actually leads to an ad for an apartment complex in Pakistan — not a free $150 Kroger coupon.
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It’s not the first time a fake Kroger coupon has circulated on social media. Kroger and multiple news outlets, including VERIFY partner station KHOU , USA Today and Snopes, have been debunking the spread of fake Kroger coupons and gift cards since at least 2013.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says counterfeit coupons are a popular way for scammers to steal a person’s identity and money.
Some scammers lure people in by using official brand logos to create fake coupons that offer unusually steep discounts, like 80% or more, on certain products sold by major retailers. Other scammers offer coupon deals in exchange for sharing a link on social media. The BBB says these links often lead people to third-party websites where visitors enter personal information in exchange for the coupon.
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“In most cases, after signing up, you never receive any coupons. Instead, you’ve given your personal details to scammers,” the BBB says.
On its website, the BBB shares six tips on how to avoid a fake coupon scam:
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