In the midst of public outrage over an incident in which two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, fake coupons have appeared on social media promising 1 free beverage for “people of color” and “African American heritage.” (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
A series of fake coupons promising free beverages for “people of color” and “African American heritage,” are reportedly making the rounds on social media.
The faux vouchers appeared to have originated on a site known for promulgating far-right content and ideas, The New York Daily News reported.
The bogus coupons appeared after an incident in which two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks after an employee reportedly called police on the two men who refused to leave.
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“We’re sorry,” reads one of the fake coupons. “We know we can do better. Starbucks values all people of color, and we are working on employee sensitivity training.”
The coupon is adorned with different flavors of Starbucks’ signature frappucino beverage next to the caption: “The best dialogue starts over a cup of coffee and we’d like to buy you one.”
In this photo from April 16, 2018, demonstrators protest at a Starbucks in Philadelphia where two black men were arrested after employees said they were trespassing. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)
In the left-hand corner is the Starbucks logo and a barcode with the text: “Limit 1 coupon per person … People of Color only.”
Starbucks has denied the coupons’ authenticity.
“This is completely false and in no way associated with Starbucks,” a representative for the company told Business Insider.
According to the Daily News, one of the coupons contains instructions for the barista to punch in the code, “1488,” a set of numbers associated with white supremacist groups. The coupon also includes a QR code that displays the “n-word” when scanned, the Daily News reported.
[“Source-foxnews”]
