The Costco Wholesale $750 Gift Card Scam
If you’ve received a text message, email, or social media pop-up declaring you’ve won a “$750 Costco Wholesale Gift Card,” you need to stop and read this.
The short answer is: No, the $750 Costco gift card offer is not real. It is a sophisticated phishing scam designed to steal your personal information, money, or both.
This type of scam preys on the public’s love for Costco and the allure of a high-value reward. The criminals behind it create fake websites (like the one in the screenshot, which uses a non-Costco URL like membercost.com) that look convincing, all to lure you into a trap.
How the Scam Works
This scam typically follows a specific set of steps, as shown in the fraudulent “offer” pages. The scammers’ goal is to get you to hand over sensitive data.
- The Lure: You receive an unsolicited text or email that says you’ve been selected or have a chance to claim a $750 Costco gift card. It includes a link, often with a sense of urgency like “Claim Now” or “Offer Expires Today.”
- The Fake Website: Clicking the link takes you to a phishing website. It will feature the official Costco logo and branding to look legitimate, but the URL in your browser’s address bar will be wrong. (Costco’s real website is
Costco.com). - The Survey: The site tells you to “Claim Your $750 Gift Card” by following a few simple steps, which always include “Enter your email & basic info” and “Complete the survey.” This is the first stage of data collection. The survey questions are irrelevant; their only purpose is to make you feel invested.
- The “Deals” Trap: This is the most dangerous part. The final step is often “Complete recommended deals” or “Complete 10 deals.” These “deals” are almost always subscriptions to services you’ve never heard of. To complete them, you are required to enter your credit card information.
- The “Reward”: After you’ve given away your personal information (name, email, address, phone) and your credit card number, you will not “Receive your gift card.” Instead, you will be signed up for multiple, hard-to-cancel monthly subscriptions that can cost you hundreds of dollars. The scammers also now have your personal data to sell on the dark web.
Red Flags
Once you know what to look for, these scams are easy to spot.
- The URL is Wrong: This is the biggest giveaway. Always check the address bar. The only legitimate Costco website is
Costco.com. A fake site might useCostcooffers987.com,membercost.com, or other slight variations. - It’s Too Good to Be True: Legitimate companies do not give away $750 for completing a simple survey. If an offer feels too good to be true, it always is.
- Unsolicited Contact: Did you enter a contest? If a message arrives out of the blue, be suspicious. Costco does not send random texts or emails with high-value gift card offers.
- It Asks for Personal or Financial Info: A real giveaway doesn’t require you to fill out a survey with personal data and then sign up for “deals” with your credit card. This is a massive red flag.
- Sense of Urgency: Scammers rely on panic. Phrases like “Act Fast,” “Only 2 Clicks Away,” or “Offer Ends in 5 Minutes” are designed to make you act without thinking.
What to Do if You See This Scam
- DO NOT click the link.
- DO NOT reply to the text (not even “STOP”). Replying just confirms your number is active, leading to more scam texts.
- DO NOT enter any personal information.
- DELETE the message.
- REPORT the scam. You can report phishing attempts directly to Costco at their official website. You can also report fraudulent websites and texts to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at
ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If you already entered your information, monitor your bank and credit card statements closely for fraudulent charges. If you gave them your credit card number, call your bank immediately to report the fraud and have the card canceled.
