Don’t fall for text messages claiming free gift cards

The old adage “if it sounds too good to be true, it is” clearly applies in this example of SPAM text messages claiming gift cards at a highly discounted rate.

There are several red-flags that show this type of advertisement is likely a scam:

  1. Unsolicited telemarketing via automated messages is illegal.  This includes unsolicited telemarketing text messages.  Anyone that sends you such a text is flouting the law and is unlikely to be offering anything legitimate.
  2. Companies just don’t give away something for nothing.  The best discount you can hope for on a gift card is from one of the many secondary marketplaces that exist.  You are unlikely to get better than a 20% discount on a gift card an popular gift cards (like Walmart) are in high demand and sell for a much smaller discount.
  3. The text messages claim the gift cards are free but upon further investigation, there is a small fee.