An email in Costco colors says you’ve been picked for a free HexClad cookware set. You only need to answer a few questions and cover a small shipping fee.
It reads like a members-only deal, so people search for a Costco deals scam before clicking. The answer depends on where the offer came from and what it asks for.
Overview
What the HexClad giveaway promised
Our May 2025 report described a Costco Answer and Win offer for a free 12-piece HexClad Hybrid Perfect Pots set, valued at $899.99.
The catch was a short survey and a shipping fee paid by card.
What Costco says about offers like this
Costco’s fraud page warns that surveys, ads, emails and social posts using its name appear constantly. It says Costco is unlikely to be affiliated with them.
Where the real cost comes from
The shipping fee is the hook. The same report found checkout terms that enrolled people in monthly charges of $50 to $100 for unrelated services.
- Don’t enter card details to claim a prize from an unexpected Costco email, text or ad.
- Check the sender: Costco email comes from a costco.com address.
- If you paid a shipping fee, call your card issuer now, because dispute deadlines run from the statement date.
- Check real Costco deals by opening costco.com yourself, not through a link.
Is the Costco HexClad Giveaway Real?
No. HexClad is a real cookware brand and Costco is a real retailer, but this giveaway borrows both names. Neither company is the one asking for your card.
Our 2025 report described an email styled like a Costco promotion, with HexClad product photos and an urgent stock warning.
Its link led to a survey page that had nothing to do with costco.com.
Costco’s own rules give it away. Its fraud page says unsolicited messages from Costco don’t ask for credit card information, and that any Costco email comes from a Costco.com domain.
The prize itself sounds right because it’s real. HexClad sells a 12-piece set of hybrid pots and pans with lids, so a familiar product name proves nothing about the offer.
A free cookware set that needs your card number fails both tests. Whatever the prize, a request for payment details to claim a reward is the sign of an impersonation.
Costco Deals Scam, Fraud or Doxxed: What the Searches Mean
People type costco deals scam or costco deals fraud after seeing an offer that looks too generous. Most of those offers fit the pattern Costco describes on its fraud page.
Costco says those messages are designed to get your name, address, card numbers or passwords, and some ask you to buy something that may never arrive.
Costco also notes that scammers keep creating new email addresses and websites, and that it can’t stop them. So a name you haven’t seen before tells you nothing about safety.
The doxxed searches reflect a real worry. Doxxing means publishing someone’s private details.
The 2025 giveaway pages asked for a name, address, phone number and card, which overlaps with the data Costco says scammers want.
Once that information is typed into a fake form, you can’t pull it back. Expect more scam emails, texts and calls, and watch for attempts on your accounts.
If you also typed your Costco password, change it on costco.com and on any other account that uses the same password.
Real Costco deals do exist, of course. They’re posted on costco.com and in the Costco app, where you can look up any offer yourself before trusting a message about it.
How the Fake Costco HexClad Giveaway Works
Step 1: A Costco-styled message lands
The email or ad uses Costco’s logo and colors and names a premium prize. Subject lines in our 2025 report promised a selected winner and a nearly sold-out set.
Step 2: A short survey builds trust
The link opens a short questionnaire. Answering a few easy questions makes the prize feel earned rather than random.
Step 3: You win, then pay shipping
The page announces a win and asks for your name, address, phone number and card details to cover a small delivery fee. That’s the moment the card number is captured.
Step 4: The terms add a subscription
Small print in the checkout terms enrolls you in a recurring membership. Our 2025 report said these vague savings programs were hard to cancel.
Step 5: Charges show up under other names
Our 2025 report said the charges carried generic names that hid their link to the giveaway, so victims often spotted them only on later statements.
Costco’s Own Example of a Fake Offer
Costco publishes an example of a recent scam email on its fraud page, with numbered warning signs. It’s a gift card offer, not cookware, but the parts match.
The sender line reads Costco Customer Survey, but the address is on a domain that isn’t Costco’s. The message points readers to a National Consumer Center for a $250 reward.
A purple Claim Reward button sits in the middle, and hovering over it shows a long link on another domain.
At the bottom, small print says the email is an advertisement and paid participation is required.
Costco points out that the street address and opt-out line are there only to look legitimate.
The same page shows a fake website that used Costco’s logo and warehouse photos, with spelling errors and a European time zone.
The Same Script With Different Prizes
The HexClad version is one of many. The prize changes with each campaign, while the survey, the win and the card request stay the same.
Our report on the Costco YETI wagon scam describes a $9.95 shipping fee for a free wagon. The Costco gas grill giveaway asked $11.95 to deliver a Kirkland Signature grill.
Our Costco survey rewards report tracks the same pitch with laptops, phones and TVs.
On Facebook, the pitch is often a story.
Our Costco meat box report covers posts offering a box of steaks for about $9.95 in shipping, framed as a tip from a warehouse worker’s spouse.
Other versions skip the prize and promise pay. Our 750CT.com report covers a site that used Costco’s logo to promise up to $500 for shopping feedback.
HexClad cookware also turns up without Costco, as in the Gordon Ramsay HexClad giveaway pushed through Facebook and Instagram ads.
In the UK, the fact-checking charity Full Fact found Facebook posts claiming Tesco would sell a HexClad set for £10 after a short survey. That offer wasn’t from Tesco either.
Other Scams on Costco’s Own Warning List
Giveaways are only one item on Costco’s fraud page. The others matter for anyone searching costco deals fraud, because they borrow the same name in different ways.
- Job offers by email or text with subjects like Provisional Job Offer, followed by a request for a processing fee that can run to hundreds.
- Checks mailed in Costco’s name, with instructions to deposit them and quickly pay a third party for taxes or fees.
- Phone calls offering a $500 Costco Travel credit or Shop Card for a survey, sometimes showing your local warehouse number.
- PayPal emails about a Costco.com flower order you never placed.
Costco’s answers are short. It doesn’t offer jobs by email or text to people it hasn’t contacted, and it doesn’t ask applicants to pay a fee.
It also says it doesn’t accept PayPal in its warehouses or on Costco.com, so a PayPal receipt for a Costco order is fake by definition.
The deposited check bounces after the money you sent has already cleared. Costco’s advice is not to deposit the check at all.
How to Check a Costco Deal Before You Click
- Open costco.com or the Costco app yourself and search for the offer. Costco’s advice is to enter websites through your browser, not through links in messages.
- Look at the sender’s full address. Costco email ends in @costco.com, except digital Shop Cards from costco@digitalshopcard.costco.com.
- Hover over buttons before clicking. A link that leads anywhere other than costco.com is not a Costco promotion.
- Treat any request for a card number, PIN, password or Social Security number in an unsolicited message as a scam.
- Read the fine print near any payment button for words like membership, trial, monthly or recurring.
- Check HexClad deals on HexClad’s own website rather than through a giveaway page.
Signs the Checkout Hides a Subscription
On free-gift checkouts, recurring terms are easy to miss. Look under the payment button, in any pop-up, and behind every terms link before entering a card.
Words such as trial, membership, access, club, auto-renew or billed every 30 days mean the fee isn’t a one-time charge.
A pre-ticked box beside the payment form is another warning. If you spot one, close the page rather than trying to work around it.
If the page names a company that isn’t Costco or HexClad, write it down. It may be the name that appears on your statement later, which makes the dispute easier.
If You Only Answered the Survey
Answering the questions without paying costs you nothing directly. The bigger exposure is whatever contact details you typed in.
If you entered an email address or phone number, expect more prize messages. Don’t reply, and skip unsubscribe links in messages you never asked for, since the sender controls them.
Use your email app’s own spam button instead. For texts, the FTC suggests forwarding them to 7726 (SPAM) and reporting them in your messaging app.
Deadlines if You Paid a Shipping Fee
Disputes work on the calendar, so act quickly. The clock usually starts with the statement that first showed the charge, not the day you noticed it.
For a credit card, the FTC says your written dispute should reach the issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent.
Send it to the billing inquiries address, not the payment address, and keep a copy.
Card networks often allow longer for fraud claims, commonly around 120 days, but don’t rely on that. Call the issuer first, then follow up in writing.
For a debit card, the FTC says you owe nothing for unauthorized charges made with only your card number, if you report them within 60 days after the statement.
Miss that window and you could be stuck with later charges. The $50 and $500 limits apply when the physical card itself is lost or stolen.
PayPal disputes close 180 days after the payment. If you paid in 2025, that window has passed, but the card behind the PayPal account may still help.
What to Do if You Have Fallen Victim to This Scam
- Call the number on the back of your card. Dispute the shipping fee and any monthly charges you didn’t knowingly agree to, and ask for a new card number.
- Ask the issuer to block future charges from the same merchant names. Write those names down exactly as they appear on your statement.
- Look through the last six months of statements for small recurring charges you don’t recognize, and dispute each one.
- Keep the email, screenshots of the survey and checkout pages, and any confirmation messages. They support your dispute.
- Report the offer at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and forward details to Costco through the Contact Us options on its fraud page.
- If you gave your Social Security number or bank details, place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three credit bureaus.
- Ignore calls or emails offering to recover your money for a fee. Your card issuer handles disputes for free.
Costco’s fraud page also suggests reporting to the FBI’s IC3 or your state attorney general’s office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Costco HexClad giveaway real?
No. It’s an impersonation that uses Costco’s and HexClad’s names. Costco says its unsolicited messages don’t ask for card details, and this offer needs your card to pay shipping.
Are Costco deals a scam?
Real Costco deals aren’t, but fake deal pitches using Costco’s name are common. An offer that needs a survey and a fee, or comes from a non-Costco address, isn’t Costco.
Can a fake Costco deal get me doxxed?
These pages collect your name, address, phone and card. Once you share them, expect scam calls, texts and emails, and watch your accounts and statements closely.
Does Costco send survey reward emails?
Costco says survey and reward promotions using its name are unlikely to be affiliated with it. Genuine Costco email comes from costco.com, and digital Shop Cards come from costco@digitalshopcard.costco.com.
How long do I have to dispute the shipping fee?
For credit cards, the FTC says your letter should reach the issuer within 60 days of the first statement with the charge. Debit card losses grow the longer you wait.
How do I report a fake Costco offer?
Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to Costco through its Contact Us page. You can also file with IC3 or your state attorney general.
The Bottom Line
The Costco HexClad giveaway is a fake deal that borrows two real brands. Don’t answer the survey, and never enter a card number to claim a free prize.
If you already paid the shipping fee, call your card issuer today, dispute every charge tied to it, and ask for a new card number before more monthly fees post.
For real Costco deals, open costco.com or the Costco app yourself. If an offer can’t be found there, treat it as a Costco deals scam and delete it.
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