Facebook Offer for a Free $100 Cheesecake Factory Giftcard Leaves Victims Hungry

There’s no need to drool over the offer to get a free $100 Cheesecake Factory gift card on Facebook… it’s nothing more than a scam.

Internet scammers have added The Cheesecake Factory to its collection of restaurants that they promote bogus meal vouchers in order to trick unsuspecting people into handing over personal information.  Other establishments whose names have recently been used in scams include Outback Steakhouse, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Starbucks - among others.

The Cheesecake Factory scam is spread via wall posts (or private messages should the participant switch the setting in the share window):

Eat for Free at Cheesecake Factory!
cheesecakesblog.com

As the holidays approach, Cheesecake Factory has decided to celebrate early by giving away FREE DINERS to it’s fans and customers. Claim yours now before they’re all gone!

Take note that multiple URLs are used in this scam, including cc9.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com, thecheesecakegift.com & cheesecakesblog.com.

Should you follow the link, you’ll be greeted with a page demanding that you first share the offer with your Facebook friends and thank the scammer for including you in their latest evil scheme.



Upon saying thanks and confessing your blonde moment to the world on the page, you will be redirected yet again to another page that asks you 4 questions to see if you qualify for the free $100 Cheesecake Factory gift card  –

After answering the four questions – which include your gender and age range – you will be asked for your email address in order to “claim” your giftcard.



If you actually believe that then you should prepare to be disappointed, as you’ll be presented with yet another hoop to jump through in order to get your Cheesecake Factory giftcard:

Sure, the page may TELL you that you need to hand over your name, address, date of birth and phone numbers so they’ll know where to send the $100 giftcard, but the truth lies within the fine print at the bottom of the page:

In order to receive your gift you must: (1) Meet the eligibility requirements (2) complete the rewards bonus survey (3) complete a total of 5 Reward Offers as stated in the Terms & Conditions (4) not cancel your participation in more than a total of 2 Reward Offers within 30 days of any Reward Offer Sign-Up Date as outlined in the Terms & Conditions (the Cancellation Limit) and (5) follow the redemption instructions.

By the time you complete 5 “reward” offers, you will have paid well over the amount that the Cheesecake Factory giftcard is worth.

Meanwhile, the scammer will be laughing all the way to the bank as they earn a commission off each sign up – that’s if they’re not also mining your private data to steal your identity.

Don’t believe me? Just try leaving the page:



If you see the Cheesecake Factory giftcard scam in your news feed, mark the post as spam and warn the friend that posted it that they’ve fallen for a scam.

If you are the one that posted it, then delete the message from your Wall immediately and replace it with a post that warns your friends not to fall for it. If you submitted your personal information, be on the lookout for spam sent to your home address and email inbox. Also monitor your cellphone bill for suspicious charges as scammers may sign you up for expensive monthly SMS subscriptions.

If you fell for this scam and you're now spamming your friends with the same scam, you may need to check for rogue browser plugins.

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