Fact Check: Is Kohl's $250 coupon scam or real?

One of the most prominent problems that the world is facing other than COVID-19 nowadays is the ever-increasing scams and hoaxes that are revolving around the news and social media. People are getting easily trapped in such scams and some of them even include loss of money. One such confusing rumour came up after people starting sharing that the department retail store Kohl's is giving away coupons of $250. 

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Claim:

A social media rumour claims that the departmental store Kohl's is giving away free coupons for $250 to all social media users. People are urged to go on a site and get their coupons from there free of charge. Many people came under the influence of this claim and started looking out for these coupons online. People also took to Facebook and Twitter asking, "Is the KOHLs Coupon real?" 

(Source: Snopes Tips Facebook Group)

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The link given in these posts takes one to a page that takes a survey. In that survey, they ask you questions like whether you have visited the store and if you would recommend it to others. In the end, it urges the people to go and share the same link with others and claim the coupon. This led to the spread of this news.

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Rating: Fake

The coupon is completely fake and the practice does not give any kind of coupons. Such scams have always been made and shared by scammers on the internet. They ask for personal information like name, email address and phone number, which can be misused later.

The Kohl's coupon is a scam and is fake

Origin:

This hoax started spreading on Facebook as the site asks people to share and inform their friends and family on the social media site. Using fake information, we followed the instructions given by the page. Once you click on Claim Coupon, a page pops up and asks you to allow notifications from go.domainxchange.xyz. Later, a page opens about a game called Spartan Poker and asks you to register. This is proof that it is a fake site. 

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Google Trends Analysis

People have been searching the internet to get free coupons from Kohl's. While searches rose on April 11, they subsided later. Then April 15 had many people searching for the same from 4.30 to 6.30. 

(Source: Google Trends)

Disclaimer: It is very important to stay aware and also stay away from such hoaxes and scams. Providing personal information to these sites can prove to be very dangerous. Make sure that the sources of such kinds of news are official and dependable. 

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