As the latest series of scams claiming joining an event will win you freebies circulate Facebook once again, we discuss how these scams operate and why you should never join them just in case they might be genuine.
A popular type of social engineering trick employed by social media scammers is by baiting users with the lure of freebies. After all, everyone is looking for something for nothing. And almost everybody would be willing to Like a page or join a Facebook event to qualify for a free prize.
Perhaps initially on face value these scams could look legitimate. After all, perhaps that certain company may be willing to give away free products in order for their Facebook page to be spread virally by eager “Facebookers”. Perhaps it is their anniversary and they’re celebrating it by giving away freebies to the first number of people to attend their event. What’s to lose?
The problem is that these pages or events are never genuine offers. And what’s worse is that they’re not innocent pranks either. In most cases these Facebook events or pages are set up by Internet scammers looking to make a quick buck at the expense of naïve Facebook users.
In almost all cases the scams work by first baiting a Facebook user to like/join a Facebook page/event and then baiting them to inviting all of their Facebook friends as well. Then the scam can vary depending on what type of scam it is. In many cases users are then told to visit an external link which leads to a survey scam which is designed to harvest a victim’s personal information.
In other more malicious variants the external link can lead to dangerous sites that try and trick a user into downloading malicious software that can damage a victim’s computer.
This Facebook event falsely asserts to give away free Disney tickets, but in reality it just directs victims to a survey scam
It is worth remembering that big companies will never offer freebies just by joining or liking a Facebook page or event. Never follow these scams “just in case they’re real” because remember that a key part of the scam is luring you into inviting all of your friends as well, who will then be subjected to the same con, and whilst you may back out before it’s too late your friends might not be so lucky.
