Did ALDI create a giveaway in which Facebook users who share and comment on a specific post will receive "a bag of Christmas essentials" as well as a $500 voucher for the store? No, that's not true: The post is not from the verified ALDI's Facebook page. ALDI posted on its verified page on December 22, 2021: "Looks like another Facebook scam is making its way around. We can confirm it is a scam and the page has no affiliation with ALDI. We're sorry for any confusion this may have caused!"
The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) by "Aldi Fans" on December 21, 2021. The post reads:
Hey everyone! I'm Jason Hart the CEO Executive Officer of ALDI store. This Christmas we thought we'd do something special for everyone who shares+comments by the 23rd as we know the past year has been difficult for a lot of you. Every person who does this will each receive a bag full of Christmas essentials such as crackers, turkey, potatoes and much more worth $40. (Sent next day delivery) If that's not enough, we're also placing a $500 voucher in 1,000 random bags.🎁🎁🎁
visit this page and get a chance to win
Enter here 👉https://tinyurl.com/3b7xpekj
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
The main clue that this giveaway is not from the real ALDI company is that there is no verification check signifying that, this is in fact, the real ALDI. Facebook gives blue check marks to public figures or brands as a way to tell users that an account is genuine.
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Dec 29 17:02:23 2021 UTC)
ALDI USA, pictured above, is the official Facebook page for the American branch of the company. Facebook users can tell it's the official Facebook page because of the blue check mark next to the name.
On its verified page, ALDI USA posted on December 22, 2021:
Hey ALDI friends! Looks like another Facebook scam is making its way around. We can confirm it is a scam and the page has no affiliation with ALDI. We're sorry for any confusion this may have caused!We are working with Facebook to get the page taken down and we'd love your help: please share this post to help us spread the word, and always be sure to look for the blue check mark by our name for authenticity!
ALDI had a very similar fake giveaway problem in 2020. According to this FOX article, people were creating fake Facebook posts with usernames like "Aldi-usa" and "Aldi-Store" and telling users to interact with the post to win prizes and gifts.
ALDI made a statement on its verified Facebook page on November 29, 2020, saying the post was a scam.
