Starbucks Shoots Down 'Dreamer Day' Hoax

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not... — Starbucks. (Kidding.)

The popular coffee shop chain has found itself at the center of a social media hoax, whereby a fake ad announced that all undocumented immigrants would receive a 40 percent discount on "Dreamer Day." The fictional ad, which originated on 4chan, was headed "Starbucks Dreamer Day" and used the hashtag "#borderfreecoffee" and coupon code "UNAFRAID" — which "all undocumented Americans" (now there's a concept) could redeem for a free grande cold beverage. 
 

Buzzfeed reports that a comment left on 4chan's site appears to be the driving force behind the hoax. It reads: "How about we meme 'Undocumented Immigrant Day' at Starbucks into existence? Announce free coffee for all illegals on a certain date. August 11? 11 Looks like II (for Illegal Immigrant). I'm open to suggestions there. Name a liberal place for all illegals to go at once and demand free stuff."

Starbucks senior vice president of global communications John Kelly told The Associated Press that the rumor is "completely false. One hundred percent fake."

An additional faux post appeared on Twitter. "Help Starbucks fight bigotry," it said. This one also had the coupon code, but for a free venti cold beverage instead of a mere grande — including a misspelled "Frappacino" (the correct spelling is "Frappuccino").
 

This is completely false. Please do not spread misinformation. Starbucks is not sponsoring any such event.

— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) August 4, 2017

According to the 4chan thread, the hoax was a set-up aimed at capturing illegal immigrants by sending ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers to Starbucks stores on the date of the supposed event, August 11. Starbucks has reached out to the Twitter community to expose the fraudulent ad and ask users to stop spreading misinformation.

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