Watch out for this Southwest Airlines scam on Facebook

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Facebook is fraught with scams these days. 

Now more than ever, you have to be careful what you share on Facebook. Fake company pages are making the rounds, purporting to offer freebies and amazing discounts if Facebook users will like the page, and share the post.

But, in reality the offers are not real at all — and by liking these pages and sharing content from them, you could be putting you and your Facebook friends’ security at risk!

Read more: Warning: 3 Facebook scams you want to avoid

In this case, the scam looks like Southwest Airlines, but it is not Southwest Airlines at all. 

The fake Southwest Airlines offers free tickets to a destination and may even include a cash giveaway, so long as Facebook users like the page and share the post. But, by sharing the post, you could be opening the door to criminals who want access to your info! 

This is an example of a page post claiming to be Southwest, but in reality it is a fake page offering false promises: 

Watch out for this Southwest scam on Facebook

You’ll notice that the page name is not exactly titled ‘Southwest Airlines,’ which is the official company name. The page says ‘South West Air’ and promises these giveaways if people will share the post: 

Awesome News vacation lovers’ We are giving away 775 first class flights for you and 5 friends to a dream destination of your choice anywhere in the world and $5,000 spending money!

Rules for entry:
1. Share this photo and Comment “Thank You” below.
2. Like Our Page.
3. Click the “Sign Up” button on our page

Please like our page where the winners will be announced on February 09 2016.

These posts are fraudulent, and if you see one, you should report it to Facebook! 

Snopes.com reported a similar scam this week that claimed winners would receive four tickets to Las Vegas and $5,000 spending money. This claim was also completely false.

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Read more: Don’t fall for it! The IRS will not call you and ask for money

Avoid online coupon or freebie scams by following these steps:

  • Go to the company’s Facebook page and see if the offer is posted there. If it’s a large company (most of these fraudulent posts target big companies that are well-known), you’ll want to be sure it’s the company’s verified page. A verified page has this symbol directly to the right of the company name:  Watch out for this Southwest scam on Facebook
  • If it is not posted, look on the company’s official website, and see if there are any details on the offer or promotion there.
  • If the coupon is not posted in either of those places, it is likely not legitimate, but you could also contact the company directly to know for sure.

Note that if you ever click on one of these fake offers, you could be putting your data and security (as well as your friends’ data and security) at risk! Stay safe, and avoid clicking on or sharing fraudulent posts. 

Read more: Beware of Lowe’s phishing scam on Facebook

Scam alert: Bogus Bank of America email could rob you blind

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