Scam Event:
Receive 4 Disney Land/Disney World Tickets FREE (Limited Time Only!)
Scam Type: Bogus Offer
Trending: April/May 2012
Why it’s a Scam:
Bogus Facebook Events are being used to spread bogus Disney Land & Disney World offers. Users are willing inviting their friends to these fraudulent events in the hopes of receiving more tickets. Clicking the scam link on the Facebook event shown above takes you to the following page:
Don’t let Mickey and Donald fool you (obviously this is not an official Disney promotion). You have to read the fine print. By reading the Terms and Conditions of the ‘deal,’ you quickly discover that you and three friends that you refer have to complete a total of 13 ‘reward offers.’ These offers often cost money. Also keep in mind that your personal data will be shared with other marketers, sponsors, scammers – whatever you want to to call them! You are usually required to provide your name, address, phone numbers and date of birth. This will enable the shady marketers to not only spam your Facebook account, but also harass you via snail mail, phone calls and text messages.
**Note – Scams like this often use multiple domains, so you may see a variation in the landing pages and scam messages.
How to Deal with the Scam:
If you did make the mistake of sharing the scam link, then you are now spamming your friends with the very same message. Clean-up your newsfeed and profile to remove references to the scam. (click the “x” in the top right hand corner of the post).
Be on the lookout for more marketing offers arriving to your email inbox and physical address if you submitted that information to the scammers. Also be aware and alert for possible identity theft attempts.
If you submitted your cell phone for any of the surveys or offers, then keep an eye on your cell phone bill to make sure no premium charges appear.
If you or your Facebook friends are falling for tricks like this, it’s time to get yourself informed of the latest threats. Be sure to join the Facecrooks page on Facebook to be kept informed of the latest security issues.
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