PHILADELPHIA – Consumers should be wary of enticing Facebook advertisements offering bulk quantities of Hershey’s Kisses, as a local woman recently fell victim to a deceptive scheme linked to such an ad. The warning comes as these ads are widely circulating on social media, especially as shoppers begin holiday preparations.
susan Golding intended to purchase approximately 20 pounds of Hershey’s kisses for under $11 to fill Christmas mugs for her 22 nieces and nephews. After submitting her information and seeing an initial charge of $10.95 on her credit card, she was then hit with a second, unauthorized charge of $81 from a company listed as Silvercraft Watch.
Golding promptly disputed the $81 charge with her bank, stating, ”I never agreed to it.” The company representative claimed the Facebook ad was for a “sweepstakes,” with all terms and conditions disclosed online, including information about an “$81 a-month book club.” golding refutes this claim, asserting, “I definitely read the fine print and there was nothing about a raffle…I know there was definitely nothing about a book club.”
WPVI-TV’s Troubleshooters team contacted Silvercraft Watch, receiving the same description offered to Golding. Hershey itself has acknowledged the fraudulent activity, stating they are ”actively working with Facebook to protect consumers” and reminding customers that the only official direct-to-consumer sales channel is shop.hersheys.com.
Following intervention from the Troubleshooters, Golding received a full refund from her bank for both charges and canceled her credit card to prevent further unauthorized activity.This incident serves as a critical reminder to carefully review all terms and conditions before engaging with online offers, particularly those appearing on social media platforms.
