Beware of free articles (or almost) and (fake) contests!
There are many dangers on social media. Among them, we find fake competitions. Some sites offer branded products for 1 or 2 euros, in exchange for your personal and banking data. Fake pages are also created on the basis of existing competitions. Beware!
"Only" 1 or 2 euros for a nice gift?
You know the maxim "too good to be true"? This is also valid online.
On social networks, we are noticing more and more fake competitions... Scammers are perfecting their methods, playing not only on the public's wallet but also on their sensitivity. Recently, a fake Facebook profile said: "I worked at Dесathlon for eight years, and last week I was fired — just because I couldn't go to work when my child got sick! Seriously? Let them do what they want now. I have no intention of forgiving them such an injustice. And then came the catch: "A little trick that only employees normally know: at the moment, you can get a Thе Nоrth Fасe backpack almost for free. Just fill out a short questionnaire with a few simple questions — and as a thank you, they send the bag straight to your home! I'll put the link in the comments. »
The posts on this account were commented on by other fake profiles confirming that they had received the bag, at 1.95 euros or 2 euros, depending on the photo shared... "I even went to the store just to ask for more information about this offer. They told me it's only available online — so I ordered right away. And today, it really happened! or: "The backpack is there and it looks really good!" Only the straps could be a little thicker, but honestly – given the price, I'm not going to complain," the fake customers explained in order to give credibility to the publication.
As for the link in the comments, it referred to a page imitating Decathlon inviting you to answer simple questions before entering your contact details...
Comments from fake customers
At the same time, Moët & Chandon also had a scam of this kind with a site called https://moet.com@droidcall.cc inviting you to participate in a contest to supposedly win a cooler filled with mini bottles of Moët Rosé in exchange for a few answers.
At the bottom of the page, fake comments and... 39,141 false evaluations were intended to give credibility to the competition. "Believe it or not, the offer is real. I thought it was a scam but it happened this morning," or "A real deal but you have to follow the instructions exactly as requested to get your gift. »
In the field of tourism, fake competitions also regularly emerge. Maredsous Tourisme has been a victim of this recently... "Participants were even debited several hundred euros after exchanging with the fake organizer," explains the official page.
They take ownership of existing competitions
During the holiday season, many scammers also took advantage of the situation to hijack existing competitions in order to scam the alleged winners. Fake accounts were for example called "Congratulations – click here to claim your prize". "These fake accounts link to a fraudulent link asking for your bank details in order to make an alleged payment for the "delivery" of the gift," explains the Cap Sud Charleroi-Gerpinnes agency, victim of a scam of this kind.
A bakery also experienced the same misadventure through a page called "Click here to claim your prize". Always with a form of urgency and pressure. "If you miss this golden opportunity, your name will be changed to another one due to time constraints."
A few tips to remember
Safeonweb also reports an increase in fake ads on social media: "Scammers use various tactics to trick you: familiar faces, brand names or news articles. They lure you in with incredible discounts, spectacular or secret offers through so-called former employees, bankruptcies, overstocks, but in reality these advertisements are spread by scammers," they explain.
Faced with these worrying scams, we remind you again of some advice:
- If it's too good to be true, it's because it's not.
- Be critical when browsing the web.
- If a page was created recently and doesn't have many followers, beware!
- Analyze the URL of the pages you are visiting.
- Don't hesitate to report fraudulent pages circulating on social networks so that they can be deleted more quickly.
- Do not enter your personal details online and if you have given a password that you use elsewhere, change it.
- Only use the official websites of the brands to make your purchases.
- If you have any doubts about the reliability of an offer, contact the brand directly.
- Be wary if there is a notion of urgency (an offer to be seized quickly, a statement, etc.)
- If you have been a victim of this type of scam, file a complaint with the Local Police.