Kohl’s is one of the most popular department store chains, known for great deals on clothing, home goods, and more. However, an insidious scam has emerged involving fake ads promoting unbelievable “$0.98 Clearance Sale” offers at Kohl’s. This in-depth guide will uncover everything you need to know about spotting, avoiding, and protecting yourself against this deceitful scam.
Overview of the Kohl’s $0.98 Clearance Sale Scam
A deceptive scam has emerged involving fraudulent advertisements promoting unbelievable “$0.98 Clearance Sale” offers at Kohl’s across social media platforms. These compelling ads aim to drive traffic to sophisticated fake websites impersonating Kohl’s actual online store.
Scam advertisements may tout messages like:
- “Kohl’s blowout clearance sale! All items just $0.98 today only!”
- “$0.98 everything at Kohl’s for next 48 hours only in our seasonal clearance event!”
- “Direct from the factory – all Kohl’s merchandise just $0.98 in our warehouse clearance sale!”
While appearing convincing upfront, these advertised clearance sales in fact route to phishing websites that have no legitimate association with Kohl’s the real company.
The criminal-operated sites do accept real credit card payments and personal information from victims. However, they never fulfill any actual customer orders. At best, a few shoppers may eventually receive poor quality counterfeit products instead of authentic items.
More commonly, duped customers receive absolutely nothing from these sham transactions. The fake e-commerce stores simply take victims’ money and data with no intent to ship anything.
On top of outright stealing funds, these fraudulent sites also harvest users’ personal and financial information during checkout, including full names, home addresses, phone numbers, and credit card numbers. This further exposes victims to potential identity theft on top of lost money.
By aggressively mimicking Kohl’s real brand, these scam websites prey on shoppers seeking the best deals. But informed consumers can protect themselves by learning to recognize the multiple red flags signaling these sham websites.
How the Kohl’s $0.98 Clearance Sale Scam Works
Here is an in-depth look at how these fraudsters execute this scam systematically on unsuspecting shoppers:
Step 1 – Create a Fake E-Commerce Website
The scammers purchase domain names that appear similar to Kohl’s actual website, typically misspelling it or using alternate extensions like “.co”. For example, “KohlsClearanceSale.co” or “Kohls-Outlet.net”.
They design the website to precisely imitate the real Kohl’s site through copying product photos, logos, fonts, page layouts and more. Plagiarized text and policies are used throughout the site as well.
This carefully crafted counterfeit site aims to trick customers into believing it is Kohl’s authorized online store. But the discounts and merchandise being promoted are entirely fabricated.
Step 2 – Promote Outrageous Discount Offers
Once the fake e-commerce site is ready, the scam shifts focus to blasting out aggressive advertisements on social media and other platforms promoting unbelievable discount offers.
Sponsored posts tout jaw-dropping clearance prices like “Entire store $0.98 today only!” or “direct from factory, all items just $0.98!”. Real Kohl’s merchandise is shown alongside these ads to further perpetuate the scam.
Urgent call-to-action messaging creates false scarcity using tactics like countdown timers pressuring visitors to purchase before the phony sales expire.
Step 3 – Collect Financial and Personal Data
When a victim visits the scam website and attempts to place an order, they get directed through a convincing checkout process designed to harvest their financial and personal information.
Shoppers are prompted to input credit card details, billing address, phone number, email address and any other requested info. All data gets stolen directly by the criminals operating the fake site, and credit cards get charged.
Step 4 – Provide Fake Order Confirmations
After completing the checkout steps, victims receive authentic-looking order confirmations made to seem like a real order was placed.
These contain order numbers, shipping details, item descriptions, delivery ETAs and claims that the package will arrive shortly. Some even include fake tracking numbers that never actually ship.
The professional confirmations give customers a false sense their order is being processed, when in reality no valid order exists and the entire exchange was scam.
Step 5 – Never Ship Any Products
With payments stolen and data harvested, the crooks behind these websites simply disappear. They never possessed any legitimate Kohl’s merchandise in the first place.
Most victims never receive anything from these scam transactions. In limited cases some shoppers eventually receive cheap counterfeits clearly not matching their original order.
Either way, the fake clearance sale websites never intended to ship any real products. Their only goal is to scam shoppers and collect personal details.
8 Warning Signs of a Kohl’s $0.98 Clearance Sale Scam
While the fraudulent sites put tremendous effort into appearing authentic, some key indicators can help identify them as imposters:
- Unrealistic Pricing – Legitimate Kohl’s sales will offer reasonable discounts, but $0.98 for everything is absurdly low and a huge red flag.
- High Pressure Tactics – Scam ads use urgency creating tactics like countdown timers, limited stock claims, and expiring discounts to manipulate victims.
- Incorrect URL – Fake sites often misspell “Kohl’s” or use alternate domain extensions. Verify it is the exact valid URL: Kohl’s.com.
- Unknown Payment Methods – Kohl’s only accepts credit cards, Kohl’s gift cards, and PayPal. Other unfamiliar digital payment options indicate a scam.
- No Contact Details – Aside from an email address, scam sites won’t provide a real location, phone number, or other verifiable contact information.
- Copied Website Content – Fakes steal product images, policies, text, and more directly from Kohl’s real website.
- No Social Media Presence – Fraud sites have no social media channels or engagement. Kohl’s conversely has large legitimate social media followings.
- Grammatical Errors – Scam sites often have spelling/grammar mistakes and other writing quality issues indicating foreign operators.
Staying alert for these tell-tale scam indicators can help shoppers avoid getting deceived and ripped off.
How to Spot This Scam on Social Media
A major element of this scam involves promoting the unbelievable $0.98 deals through social media ads and posts. Here’s what to look out for on each platform:
Catching the Scam on Facebook
Watch out for:
- Facebook ads promising too-good-to-be-true pricing like “Kohl’s clearance sale – everything $0.98!” or “All items just $0.98 each!”.
- Posts using urgent messaging like “Today only!” or “Sale ends in 1 hour!” to create false scarcity.
- Links in ads and posts going to dubious URLs instead of the valid Kohl’s site: Kohl’s.com.
- Newly created Facebook pages lacking engagement promoting the fake sales events.
- Use of Kohl’s official images alongside the unbelievable pricing to portray false affiliation.
Identifying the Scam on Instagram
Be wary of:
- Influencer posts promoting $0.98 deals and directing to scam websites in bios/captions.
- Sponsored ads in feeds with real Kohl’s products pictured next to absurd $0.98 price tags.
- Suspicious links in Instagram stories leading to fake Kohl’s lookalike sites.
- Urgency tactics in Instagram posts like “24 hours left!” to pressure victims.
- Obvious misspellings like “Kohls” in handles and scam URL links.
Catching the Scam on TikTok
Watch for:
- Video ads rapidly flashing “everything $0.98” messaging over Kohl’s products.
- Comments on popular videos promoting fake $0.98 sales and linking to scam sites.
- Hashtags like #kohlsclearancesale used in captions to get views but linking to fraudulent stores.
- Influencer videos advising followers to purchase from a fake site “before the deals expire!”.
- URL links leading to shady domains misspelling Kohl’s name.
Staying vigilant across social channels is key, as fraudsters aggressively leverage platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to perpetuate clearance sale scams on unsuspecting shoppers.
What to Do If You Already Fell for the Kohl’s $0.98 Scam
If you placed an order on one of these fraudulent websites, provided your personal/financial information, and then realized it was a scam, here are the important steps to take right away:
Step 1 – Contact Your Credit Card Provider
If you paid with a credit or debit card, contact the issuer immediately to report the charges as fraudulent. Disputing the scam transactions quickly can lead to successful chargebacks and refunds before payments are fully processed. This gets stolen funds returned.
Step 2 – Place Fraud Alert on Your Credit Reports
Since scammers have your info, put a fraud alert on your credit reports requiring verification for new accounts opened in your name. Also order your free credit reports to monitor for any suspicious activity indicating identity theft.
Step 3 – Reset Online Account Passwords
Change the passwords on all of your online accounts if they use the same credentials that you entered on the scam site. Use strong unique passwords for each account to prevent the crooks from accessing additional profiles.
Step 4 – Call Kohl’s Fraud Department
Contact Kohl’s fraud department directly by phone to report the fake website misusing their name, logos, and scamming their customers. Provide details to aid their legal team in pursuing takedowns.
Step 5 – Report the Fraudulent Website
File detailed scam reports about the website, merchant accounts, and domain registrar to the FTC, IC3, BBB, web hosts, social media platforms, etc. to get the site shut down and prevent future victimization.
Step 6 – Warn Others About the Scam
Share your experience on social media and scam reporting sites to bring awareness to these tactics being used and help others avoid meeting the same fate.
By acting fast if scammed and spreading awareness, we can work together to combat these shameless criminals.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Kohl’s Clearance Sale Scam
This widespread scam leaves many shoppers with critical questions. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions:
Are the $0.98 Kohl’s deals on Facebook real?
No – ads and posts promoting $0.98 deals at Kohl’s are fake in nearly every case. Real Kohl’s discounts will be reasonable, not absurdly low. The $0.98 offers are a textbook scam tactic.
What happens if I order from a $0.98 Kohl’s website?
Most likely you will never receive anything. In some cases victims receive poor quality knockoffs instead of genuine products. Either way, the sites pocket your money and details with no intent to ship real merchandise.
How can I tell if a Kohl’s website is fake?
Warning signs include unrealistic low pricing, grammatical errors, unfamiliar payment methods, lack of contact details, false scarcity claims, stolen content, and invalid URLs (should always be Kohl’s.com).
Can I get my money back if I ordered from a scam site?
If you paid by credit card, immediately contact your provider to report fraudulent charges. Disputing quickly can lead to successful chargebacks before the payments finalize. This allows funds to be returned.
Why do these scammers use the Kohl’s name and brand?
Kohl’s is a trusted household brand. Scammers exploit this reputation to create an air of legitimacy and trustworthiness in order to more easily lure in victims. But the sites have no actual relationship with Kohl’s.
Is my information at risk if I entered it on a fake site?
Yes – scam sites harvest your personal and financial data directly for fraudulent purposes like identity theft. Immediately check your credit reports and enable fraud alerts if your information was compromised.
How can I report a fraudulent Kohl’s website or ad?
Gather details and screenshots then report the scam website or social media ad to Kohl’s, FTC, IC3, BBB, social media platforms, web hosts, domain registrars, etc. to expedite takedowns.
Why don’t social platforms catch these ads themselves?
While policies prohibit scam promotions, the sheer volume makes it very difficult to fully prevent fraudsters from exploiting platforms like Facebook and Instagram to advertise before being caught.
Staying vigilant for unbelievable clearance pricing and other warning signs remains your best protection against falling victim to this pervasive scam.
The Bottom Line
The Kohl’s $0.98 Clearance Sale scam illustrates the great lengths fraudsters will go to in order to impersonate and exploit trusted brands at the expense of unsuspecting consumers. But being an informed and vigilant shopper, carefully validating domains, and using secure payment methods remains the best defense against this attack.
If you accidentally provide information or purchase from one of these scam websites, take swift action by reporting the fraud, monitoring your credit, and changing account credentials. Ongoing public awareness of their tactics is key to shutting down these fake operations for good.
