QUESTION:
Is Southwest giving away free tickets on Facebook?
ANSWER:
No, we can verify this isn’t happening. You’ll have to do more than take a survey and share a link to get to your beach getaway.
SOURCES:
Southwest Airlines Spokesperson
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PROCESS:
In the peak of vacation season, many people have travel on their mind. Some people may even be tempted to share a link advertising free Southwest Airlines tickets, but they shouldn’t.
“A good rule of thumb for our customers is that if something sounds too good to be true, it generally is,” a Southwest spokesperson told WUSA9’s Verify team.
The Facebook ad claims the airline is celebrating its 88th anniversary. However, the first Southwest plane flew on June 18, 1971, meaning the company just celebrated its 46th anniversary last month.
After completing the survey, the advertisement includes comments from supposed airline ticket winners. Yet, those comments are fake and the supposed winners are fake profiles using stock photos and pictures stolen from Facebook profiles with fabricated identities.
