Power tools are the holy grail for any workshop warrior or avid DIYer. So when a giveaway offering free DeWalt tool kits pops up online, it’s sure to attract some attention. But before you pull out your credit card for that $9.97 shipping fee, stop and think – is this offer legit, or is something fishy going on here?
Keep reading to uncover the truth behind the viral DeWalt power tool kit giveaway that’s circulating on social media and learn how to protect yourself. With a clever mix of brand familiarity and scarcity marketing, this scam is persuading even savvy shoppers to hand over personal information and cash. Don’t get reeled in by this phony promotion promising premium tools for pennies. We reveal the clever tactics scammers use to lure victims in and what steps to take if you got duped. Let’s cut through the noise and expose what this “giveaway” is really about.
Overview of This Scam
A tempting new scam promising free DeWalt tool kits has been making the rounds online. Through social media ads and convincing fake websites, this con tries to dupe passionate DIYers out of personal information and cash. But the much-hyped giveaway doesn’t actually exist – it’s a fraudulent affiliate marketing scheme out to exploit people’s affinity for the DeWalt brand.
This predatory scam takes advantage of the reputation and appeal of DeWalt’s high-performance power tools. For home improvement buffs, scoring one of DeWalt’s premium tool kits for free sounds too good to be true. And in reality, that’s because it is.
The scam starts with social media ads announcing an exclusive DeWalt giveaway. Supposedly as part of a “loyalty program,” DeWalt is providing select users the chance to win free tool kits. All you have to do is take a short shopping survey about the DeWalt brand, and you could claim a high-value set of tools.
Knowing a respected legacy brand like DeWalt stands behind this promotion helps convince people it’s the real deal. But the survey pages are fake, impersonating DeWalt’s official website and graphics. They ask for personal information and credit card numbers, not to ship prizes but to enroll victims in recurring monthly subscriptions.
Here’s a step-by-step look at how this DeWalt tool kit scam operates:
- Ads on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms promote the chance to get free DeWalt tools by completing a quick “loyalty” survey.
- Users click the link and are sent to convincing phony pages decked out in DeWalt branding.
- After answering 3-5 questions about shopping habits, users are told they won a tool kit.
- The next page requests shipping info and credit card details to pay a small $9.97 delivery fee.
- Victims won’t receive any tools. Instead, their card is charged monthly for subscriptions they didn’t consent to.
- Monthly charges ranging from $50-$100 appear from shady merchants for products like antivirus software, ebooks, cloud storage sites and more.
The brilliant evil of this scam is using DeWalt’s sterling brand image against consumers. People trust that a reputable company like DeWalt must be running the giveaway. But the promotion doesn’t exist – it’s only a front to get your personal and payment details.
These scams often employ language intended to create urgency and exclusivity, such as “Hurry, this offer is limited!” This pressures victims to act now and ask questions later.
With the rise of social media ads, affiliate marketers have an easy direct channel to target users with phony promotions. Ads can be up one day and gone the next, making them hard to track. Cheap payment processing options also make it easy for scammers to process stolen credit card details.
Some other shady tactics these DeWalt tool kit scams use include:
- Implying the tools are factory second items or have damaged packaging to explain the free offer. DeWalt does not give away premium bundles like this.
- Making the survey questions very generic and quick to complete to lend credibility.
- Using mock order confirmation pages made to look like legitimate shopping checkout flows.
- Charging only a small shipping fee at first so victims don’t notice the bigger unauthorized monthly charges later.
- Flooding scam ads with fake positive comments to manipulate others.
With the right awareness, consumers can recognize warning signs like too-good-to-be-true offers, high-pressure tactics and requests for personal information. But scammers are relying on people’s high opinion of DeWalt and eagerness for free gear. Don’t let desire for something free override your common sense. If an offer seems questionable, confirm it directly with the company before providing any information.ntity.
How This DeWalt Tool Kit Scam Works
Here is a step-by-step look at how this giveaway scam ensnares victims:
1. Fake Social Media Ads
It starts with ads on Facebook, Instagram, and more announcing an amazing giveaway. DeWalt is providing free tool kits to select users who complete a short loyalty survey. The ad urges people to click now before time runs out.
2. Clicking Through to the Fake Survey
Recipients who click on the ad are taken to a phony survey page made to look official. DeWalt branding helps make it look legit. Questions ask about shopping habits, brand satisfaction, gender, age, and past DeWalt purchases.
3. Completing the Short Survey
Eager users complete the 3-5 question survey quickly, providing personal information like gender, age, and purchase history. This builds a sense of anticipation that they will win the pricey tool kit for just a moment of their time.
4. Redirected to a Fake Confirmation Page
After submitting the survey, a new page pops up confirming they won the giveaway contest. To claim their prize, they just need to cover a small $9.97 shipping and processing fee.
5. Inputting Personal and Payment Information
Believing it to be real, users enter their name, address, phone number, and email address – everything scammers want. They also input credit card information to pay the reasonable shipping cost.
6. Credit Card Charged for Monthly Subscriptions
Within a month, victims find mystery charges from odd merchant names. The $9.97 fee was just to grab their payment details and sign them up for expensive monthly subscriptions they never approved.
Some frequent monthly charges associated with this scam include antivirus software, adult sites, psychic services, ebooks, cloud storage, phone plans, and more. None were agreed to by the user who entered an alleged DeWalt giveaway.
This cycle exploits people’s familiarity with and respect for the DeWalt brand. But the tool giveaway is pure fiction, meant only to steal personal details and money. Don’t let a desire for something free cloud your judgment.
How to Identify the Scam Ads and Phony Websites
The DeWalt tool kit giveaway scam relies heavily on social media ads and convincing fake websites to reel in victims. Here’s how to spot the fraudulent ads and impersonator sites:
Watch for These Red Flags in Social Media Ads:
- Offers of free or heavily discounted DeWalt tool kits in exchange for taking a short survey.
- Urgency tactics like “Hurry, claim your free kit now before time runs out!”
- Link goes to a site unrelated to DeWalt’s official domain and branding.
- Ad may disappear quickly and pop back up under a slightly different name.
- Comments seem overly positive and generic, likely bots or fake accounts.
Here’s How to Identify the Fake DeWalt Survey Sites:
- URL does not contain DeWalt’s official website domain, often using terms like “survey,” “prize,” or “giveaway.”
- Page branding and images make it appear to be a real DeWalt site at first glance.
- Headline references a special DeWalt tool kit giveaway promotion.
- Short 3-5 question survey about shopping habits and DeWalt satisfaction.
- After survey, page states you won and must enter shipping info and payment details.
- Customer service options are limited to online contact forms, no real phone number or address.
- Reviews are all overly positive, clearly fake, or focus on non-related products.
- Website registration details hidden behind proxy services to conceal true owner.
Carefully inspecting ads and sites instead of blindly clicking will help reveal this scam targeting DeWalt fans. Remember, if an offer seems questionable, confirm it first directly through DeWalt’s official channels.
What to Do if You Are Targeted by This Scam
If you fell victim to the fake DeWalt tool kit giveaway, take these steps immediately:
- Cancel your credit card – Call your bank or card issuer to cancel your current card and request a new one be issued. This prevents further fraudulent charges.
- Dispute the charges – Identify the suspicious monthly subscription charges and dispute all of them as fraud. Explain it is linked to a phony giveaway scam.
- Monitor statements – Watch your statements for any new charges from unfamiliar companies. Spot and dispute fraudulent charges quickly.
- Check credit reports – Review credit reports from Equifax, Experian and Transunion for any wrongly opened accounts. Consider placing a credit freeze.
- Change passwords – If you used the same password on scam pages as real accounts, change those passwords immediately.
- Use identity theft services– Sign up for identity theft monitoring to catch misuse of your personal information quickly.
- Report the scam – File a report with the FTC and FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center about this phony promotion. Contact DeWalt as well.
- Avoid phone offers – Disregard any call claiming they can cancel the fraudulent subscriptions. This is likely another scam attempt. Only talk to your credit card issuer.
Being aware of the tactics and trappings of phony giveaways is key. Don’t let desire for freebies overtake common sense when protecting your identity and money.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Viral DeWalt Power Tool Kit Giveaway Scam
1. What exactly is this DeWalt power tool kit giveaway scam?
This is a fraudulent scam promising free DeWalt tool kits to people who complete a short brand survey. Fake social media ads promote the phony giveaway. The survey pages impersonate DeWalt and capture personal data. Victims pay a small shipping fee but get signed up for unwanted monthly subscriptions instead of tools.
2. What types of monthly subscription charges are tied to this scam?
Common monthly charges include antivirus software, ebooks, cloud storage, phone services, adult sites, psychic readings, device protection plans, streaming media, and more. None are authorized by the user.
3. How can you identify the fake DeWalt survey pages?
Look for URL’s that are not DeWalt’s official domain and contain words like “survey,” “giveaway” or “prize.” Pages mimic DeWalt branding and claim you won free tools for giving shopping feedback.
4. What are some red flags to watch out for with this scam?
Too-good-to-be true offers, high-pressure tactics, requests for lots of personal information, only positive reviews, short timeframes to act, and sketchy contact details are major red flags with this tool kit scam.
5. What should you do if you fell victim to this DeWalt giveaway scam?
Immediately cancel the debit/credit card used and have a new one issued. Dispute all fraudulent charges. Enroll in identity theft monitoring and check credit reports. Change account passwords that may have been compromised.
6. How can you protect yourself from the fake DeWalt giveaway scam?
Be skeptical of free offers, especially through social media ads. Confirm legitimacy directly with brands before providing info. Avoid clicking links in ads. Monitor financial statements routinely for any unauthorized charges.
7. How can you report the fake DeWalt tool kit giveaway scam?
Report fraudulent ads, pages, and sites misusing the DeWalt name directly to DeWalt via email at security@DeWalt.com. You can also file complaints with the FTC, FBI, BBB, and social media platforms.
8. How can DeWalt fans stay informed about real promotions and giveaways?
Subscribe to DeWalt’s email newsletter and follow their social media channels to learn about legitimate offers. Check DeWalt’s official website routinely for authorized contests and sweepstakes opportunities.
9. Should you ever pay a fee to claim sweepstakes prizes?
No, legitimate sweepstakes never require you to pay money upfront to receive a prize. Requests for shipping fees before prize delivery are a common scam red flag.
10. What precautions can help avoid falling for tool giveaway scams?
Be wary of limited-time offers used to create urgency. Verify promotions on company websites before acting. Never give personal or payment information to unfamiliar sites. Watch for scam warning signs like pressure tactics.
The Bottom Line
This viral DeWalt power tool kit giveaway scam plays on people’s interest in scoring premium gear for free. But the promised promotion doesn’t exist – it is just a front to access personal information and credit card details. If you gave out your information, take immediate steps to halt charges and fraud in your name. Learn to recognize the warning signs of online scams, especially those peddled through social media ads. When a free offer seems questionable, confirm it directly with the brand before providing any personal or financial information.
