FACT CHECK: No P45,000 gift card giveaway from SM Markets

Claim: SM Markets is giving away free gift cards worth P45,000 to Filipinos aged 35 to 64 years old.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook page “The Local Basket” posted more than 20 videos making these claims, with the most popular one garnering 129,000 plays, 898 reactions, and 68 shares as of writing. 

According to the posts’ video and caption, SM Markets is running a promotion offering Filipinos of a certain age a free P45,000 gift card. 

The posts contain a link to claim the supposed gift card, but this leads to a payment portal. 

The facts: SM Markets debunked the fake posts in a November 21 advisory on its verified Facebook page.

“This post is not from us. Stay vigilant and do not engage,” the page stated, adding that its promotions will only be posted on its official social media channels.

Malware and phishing risk: Link checker Virus Total flagged the link in the false posts as possibly having malware and phishing risks. Engaging with the link may expose users to potential security threats affecting their personal and financial information. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)

Official channels: SM Markets has its own official website and Facebook page.  Legitimate SM gift cards can also be found on the SM Store’s official website.

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has debunked claims from other social media pages and websites claiming to offer giveaways from various brands and companies:

• FACT CHECK: Link to P7,000 SM Supermall Christmas gift is fake 
• FACT CHECK: ‘SM Christmas Gift’ link is a phishing website 
• FALSE: Robinsons Supermarket gives gift cards on 40th anniversary
• FALSE: Cebu Pacific gives cash gift for its 25th anniversary celebration

– Shay Du/Rappler.com

Shay Du is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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