Facebook posts are claiming hardware giant Bunnings is selling-off expensive coffee machines and barbecues for just a few dollars.
The claims are false and the knockdown bargains don’t exist. The posts instead appear to be a credit card phishing scam.
Bunnings says it never asks for personal information or banking details in unsolicited communications.
The fake posts target Facebook users with eye-catching claims the Australian retailer is selling-off surplus goods due to a warehouse closure or an accounting loophole.
Facebook users are invited to click on a link to place their order.
This post, for example, claimed to be offering $5 coffee machines because “Bunnings is closing one of their warehouses”.
This one claimed to be selling high-end barbecues at the unbelievable price of $1 because Bunnings “doesn’t want to pay taxes for next year’s sales license”.
The posts are normally accompanied by photos of new items stacked up in a warehouse or on the shop floor, ready for dispatch.
AAP FactCheck found hundreds of similar posts purporting to be selling expensive items cheaply on behalf of Bunnings, many of them using identical text or photos, as seen here and here.
But as the old saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Facebook users who click the link are redirected to a website that asks them for their credit card details.
Some fake posts display comments from people claiming to have already received their Bunnings’ bargains, but the comments are normally from suspicious Facebook accounts based outside Australia.
Bunnings has issued a warning (archived here) about the scams.
“Scams illegally use the Bunnings’ name and logo to trick people into giving out personal information,” the company says on its website.
“These schemes target people using fake emails, Facebook pages, text messages and/or websites offering the opportunity to win, or receive, gift cards, prizes, or false employment opportunities.
“Bunnings is in no way associated with any of the above activities and does not use email or social media for any promotions offering free gift cards.”
A spokeswoman for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has previously told AAP FactCheck fake Facebook posts are intended “to elicit money or personal information from you for the purpose of identity theft”.
The Verdict
Facebook posts purporting to offer surplus Bunnings stock at incredibly cheap prices are fake. They are scam posts intended to trick people into handing over their credit card details.
Bunnings says it does not ask for personal information or banking details in unsolicited communications.
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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