Hoax – Coca-Cola is celebrating Christmas and donating 100 mini-fridges to users who follow specific instructions in social media posts.
Analysis
With the arrival of year-end festivities, it is not uncommon for world-renowned brands like Coca-Cola to become targets of alleged promotions or donation campaigns that circulate widely on social media. Currently, a message has been drawing the attention of many users on Facebook and Instagram, promising the distribution of a highly coveted prize: mini-fridges from the brand.
The text, presented as a Christmas initiative by the company, claims that 100 unsold units – due to small dents and scratches – would be donated for free. The only condition to participate in the draw would be to interact with the publication in a specific manner, asking the user to type the “@” symbol in the comments and click the “highlight” button. Read:
To celebrate Christmas🎄 #We have 100 mini-fridges that were not sold due to some dents and scratches. instead of selling it as a second-hand product, we decided to donate them to everyone who types @ in the comments and clicks highlight. The winner will be chosen on December 20th, at 8 PM.
Fact-Check
In a scenario where giving gifts and saving money are popular, the promise of a valuable item at no cost spreads quickly among groups and profiles. To verify the authenticity of this alleged donation, we sought to clarify three main questions: 1) Is Coca-Cola celebrating Christmas and donating mini-fridges to those who comment “highlight” on Facebook? 2) What happens if you follow all of Coca-Cola’s guidelines about Christmas and mini-fridge donations? 3) Are there similar fakes involving these donations?
Is Coca-Cola celebrating Christmas and donating mini-fridges to those who comment “highlight” on Facebook?
In an initial investigation into Coca-Cola’s official communication channels, we found no mention of a campaign to donate 100 mini-fridges due to dents or scratches. Large-scale promotions and sweepstakes, especially during times like Christmas, are always prominently disclosed on the company’s official website and its verified social media pages. The absence of information about the free distribution of a considerable number of new (or “second-hand”) products is the first major warning sign. Furthermore, the language and formatting of the alleged promotion’s text do not follow the professional communication standard of a multinational company.
What happens if you follow all of Coca-Cola’s guidelines about Christmas and mini-fridge donations?
Following the instructions to comment and interact with fake posts, such as this alleged donation, is the first step to falling for a scam. According to the pattern of this type of fraud, the person who interacts usually later receives a message in the “inbox” or direct message with a link. This link, which promises to lead to the alleged registration to receive the prize, actually redirects to malicious pages. On these pages, criminals attempt to steal personal data or account access, and in some more severe cases, they may install malware that infects the user’s device. In summary, the prize does not exist; the goal is information capture or compromise of your access.
Are there similar fakes involving these donations?
Yes, the method of using the name of major brands in alleged donations or flash promotions is a recurrent scam on the internet, and Coca-Cola is a frequent target. This is not the first time rumors involving the company and the distribution of giveaways have circulated en masse on social media. We have already fact-checked, for example, fake promotions that promised the distribution of iPhone 15s, sweepstakes that asked the user to write “happy birthday” to win prizes, and fraudulent birthday campaigns with gifts and WhatsApp link sharing. All these schemes share the same bait structure: an attractive prize in exchange for a simple interaction, which leads to a phishing scam or account theft.
Conclusion
The alleged donation of 100 mini-fridges by Coca-Cola to those who interact with the post on Facebook or Instagram is a scam. The company is not running this campaign, and the message is a type of bait used by criminals to attract users, steal personal and access data, or infect devices through malicious links sent after interaction.
Fake News ❌
Ps: This article was suggested by readers of a Fact-checking Site. If you would like to suggest a topic to the Fact-checking Site, please contact us by email [email protected].