FALSE: Robinsons Supermarket gives gift cards on 40th anniversary

At a glance

• Claim: Robinsons Supermarket is giving away gift cards worth P10,000 for its 40th anniversary in July 2021.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: The websites offering the promo are fake. As of July 2021, Robinsons Supermarket has been operating for 36 years, since 1985.
• Why we fact-checked this: Several links containing this fake promo have been circulating on Facebook and messaging apps since July 6. As of writing, the links have over 736,000 total interactions across different platforms.

Complete details

Several dubious websites falsely claim that grocery chain Robinsons Supermarket is giving away gift cards worth P10,000 in celebration of its 40th anniversary.

The links come from diligentqf.xyz, pqpwt.cn, wzyxfz.bar, and jtmpww.cn. They contain Robinsons Supermarket’s logo. Posts and messages containing the links have been circulating on messaging apps and Facebook groups since July 6.

Data from social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle show that the links have over 736,000 total interactions across Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit, as of writing.

Once clicked, the links redirect to a website that looks like Robinsons Supermarket, where users are offered a gift card worth P10,000 if they answer a questionnaire.

This is false.

The websites are fake. The supermarket chain’s official website is robinsonssupermarket.com.ph, as provided in Robinsons Supermarket’s verified Facebook account.

Contrary to the claim, the supermarket chain has only been operating for 36 years, as of July 2021. The late tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. established the supermarket in 1985.

Robinson Supermarket’s verified Facebook account posted a warning on July 8 that advises its customers to be wary of phishing attempts such as the link.

“It has come to our attention that there are malicious links posing as our brand with the promise of awarding gift certificates. Please do not click or share those links. Robinsons Supermarket is not celebrating its 40th Anniversary or endorsing any surveys outside of our official website,” Robinsons Supermarket’s post said.

The supermarket chain’s verified channels also did not announce anything about giving gift cards or any sort of giveaways for the brand’s supposed 40th anniversary. 

Rappler has debunked similar scams that circulated on Facebook in the past months. In May, there was a fake promo that claimed Rolex was giving away free watches in celebration of its 100th anniversary. A scam about Amazon giving free gifts on its 30th anniversary also circulated on social media platforms in June. – Lorenz Dantes Pasion/Rappler.com

Lorenz Dantes Pasion is a Rappler intern. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s internship program here. 

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.