Outline:
Facebook Page claims that it is giving away two Range Rovers for the ‘first time in Facebook history’.
Facebook Page claims that it is giving away two Range Rovers for the ‘first time in Facebook history’.
[credit to hoaxslayer]
Brief Analysis:
The Facebook Page is fraudulent and it is certainly not giving away any Range Rovers. It is a scam designed to trick you into spamming your friends with the fake prize post and subscribing to a dodgy SMS ‘competition service’ that will charge you several dollars per text message they send you.
The Facebook Page is fraudulent and it is certainly not giving away any Range Rovers. It is a scam designed to trick you into spamming your friends with the fake prize post and subscribing to a dodgy SMS ‘competition service’ that will charge you several dollars per text message they send you.
Detailed Analysis:
According to a Facebook Page that is currently being promoted across the network, you can win one of two Range Rovers just by liking the Page, sharing and commenting on a post about the prize, and clicking a ‘Sign Up’ button on the page. The Page claims that this is the first time in Facebook history that such a Range Rover giveaway is occurring. It notes that the ‘winners will be messaged on public’.
According to a Facebook Page that is currently being promoted across the network, you can win one of two Range Rovers just by liking the Page, sharing and commenting on a post about the prize, and clicking a ‘Sign Up’ button on the page. The Page claims that this is the first time in Facebook history that such a Range Rover giveaway is occurring. It notes that the ‘winners will be messaged on public’.
However, the Page is fraudulent. No Range Rovers are being given away. Currently, the main purpose of the fake page is to trick people into subscribing to a very expensive SMS based ‘competition service’
In fact, the Facebook Page is just the latest incarnation of a long running ‘Range Rover giveaway’ scam. Very similar versions were hitting Facebook during 2014 and 2015. The earlier versions also claimed – falsely – to be giving away Range Rovers ‘for the first time in Facebook history’.
By instructing users to share the bogus post and add a comment stating what color car they would like, the scammers ensure that the fraudulent prize offer is spread far and wide across the network. The scammers effectively turn participants into a personal posse of spammers who will very efficiently promote their criminal scheme at no cost. And, during the course of the scam, the fake Facebook Page will also accumulate a great many new Page likes, which will give it much greater reach in the future.
And, if you click the ‘Sign Up’ button as instructed, you will be taken to a ‘prize’ website that is designed to look like it is part of Facebook. The site features a list of ‘offers’ for you to click and claims you must do so within a specified time frame if you want the chance to win. A timer will count down the remaining minutes and seconds for the ‘offer’. Of course, this is just a ruse to trick you into quickly continuing.
No matter which ‘offer’ you click, you will be taken to yet another dodgy webpage that offers the chance to win further prizes for supplying your mobile phone number. But, fine print on the page will explain that, by entering your mobile number, you are actually subscribing to an ongoing SMS ‘competition service’. Each message sent to you via this ‘service’ will cost you $5. And you may receive several messages per week, so the bill for the subscription can quickly add up. The $5 messages will continue until you unsubscribe from the service.
Even after supplying your phone number and subscribing to the ‘service’, you will still not get to enter the – totally imaginary – Range Rover prize draw. The scammers who created the fake Range Rover giveaway page will earn commissions each time a person subscribes to the SMS service. Alternative versions of the scam may attempt to trick people into supplying their personal information via dodgy survey websites rather than SMS subscription sites. These survey sites will share the information you supply with site sponsors and third party marketers, so, soon after participating, you will begin receiving unwanted and annoying phone calls, letters, text messages, and emails from various companies. Again, the scammers will receive commissions each time somebody supplies information on one of the survey sites.
Scams like this one continue to be very common on Facebook. Be very wary of any post or Page that claims that you can win valuable prizes such as cars just by liking, sharing, commenting and participating in offers or surveys.
Post a Comment