If it's too good to be true, it probably is. If I had a dollar for every article I've written with that message I'd have free lunch for days. Here we are though, again, because people are falling for another scam circulating social media. At some point a person needs to do a little fact-checking or cross-referencing before believing something they read, right?

Even if what is being read looks legit, err on the side of caution. Be suspicious, occasionally it's ok to do so.

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Remember it's 2020 and scammers are getting better and better at stealing your information on all social media channels. You may think you're getting a great deal or something for free but you might be paying for it and not even realize it.

Double Check For The Blue Check

If you're scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever, and you see a free offer or coupon, double-check the account. If it's a national or international brand there will almost always be a blue checkmark next to the company's name. This indicates it is a verified account, it's legit.

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Other factors to take into account when confirming this is a legit account connected to the business or brand are the following:

  • The number of fans (likes)
  • How many images/videos are on the account
  • How long the account has been on a platform, like Facebook
  • Grammar, punctuation, etc.

Let's use KFC as an example. The colonel's company has over 58,000,000 fans and, wait for it... the verified blue checkmark.

KFC via Facebook
KFC via Facebook
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Notice their message? KFC is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Exciting, right? It doesn't appear they are offering any of their fans anything for free. Instead, the company simply asked fans to drop a "happy birthday" message.

I'm using KFC as an example because too many people in Illinois are falling for a "too good to be true" offer. Not only that, but they're clicking on a link that may only bring them problems and not delicious fried chicken.

We're going to be sending each person who has shared&commented by October 09th a voucher to get three FREE buckets of chicken

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Facebook
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Trust me when I tell you the account that posted this has no affiliation with KFC. It's unverified and has about 1,000 likes. If the page was connected to the company why would it have so few likes compared to the 58 MILLION on its main page? The answer: IT'S FAKE. It's not real, it's a scam, phony bologna, phooey.

Another way to prove this is not real is right there in the text of the status. Let's compare the two:

-kfc comparison
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There you have it, the definite proof the "KFC Fans" account is rubbish.

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