Getting free stuff can be a lot of fun, and for a lot of people, the quest for freebies is as fun as actually enjoying the free products themselves. There is a dark side to freebie offers, however. Many rip-off artists have come to realize that pretending to offer free things is a skillful way to trick people into handing over delicate information about them than can be used in identity theft operations or even swindle them out of cold, hard cash. For that reason, it is important to make sure you know how to stay safe out there when looking for free offers. There are some things you can do to make sure that freebie hunting brings you only good things. Some of these common sense rules are a great place to start.
You’ve heard it a million times before - if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. The reason you have heard it so many times is that it almost holds water. Think about the reason that companies give away free things. They’re usually not doing it for charity. They want you try to their products in the hope that you will come back to them as a paying customer in the future, and they’re doing it to build good will for their company over all. They’re certainly not doing it go broke.
So consider whether the freebie offers you come across make sense according to these standards. Does it make sense that a company will give you a free bag of their new flavor of chips or a trial size jar of their new face cream? Sure it does, because if you like it, you may buy these products in the future. Does it make sense that a company will give you an all expenses paid, two-week first class trip to Paris for you and ten of your friends? Not so much. Don’t waste your time on these too good to be true freebies - they may end up costing your big time in the long run.
By the same token, the more outlandish an offer sounds, the more you have to look for the fine print. Sure, maybe the hotel chain is willing to give you a free weekend in their beachfront hotel. The small print in the offer might say that you have to agree to spend 10 hours a day at a sales seminar or that the free weekend is yours after you pay for a two week stay. One particular airline ran an offer for a free coach class plane ticket from New York to London. The small print said you had to buy 2 , full price first class tickets on that same route before you could get the free one at a cost of around $8K per ticket. Before you leap, make sure you get all of the details.
Freebie offers that actually require you to shell out some cash are very tricky. Sometimes they are legitimate - after all, if you are accustomed to paying full price first class airfare, a free coach class ticket can be a real score. But a lot of times, when you have to pay to get something for free, that is a red flag that a con is at work. You should never send currency, even for postage, to a company that you don’t know. Also, keep an eye on the costs for things like postage even if you do know the company name. If they’re asking for $50 postage to send you a free magazine, then you know something is up.
Lastly, beware giving out too much private information. There’s no reason a company giving away free shampoo needs your bank account details. Protect your private info and if you’re uncertain, move on to the next freebie offer.
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