A few months ago, I saw a post on Facebook saying I could win a free old school chevy truck from a popular car dealership if I shared the post and commented “Done.” It looked real because the page used the dealership’s logo and pictures of the trucks. I had been searching for old squarebody chevys right before this too, and tons of people were commenting and sharing it, so I thought it might be legit.
Later, I found out it was actually a scam. The fake page was trying to get people to share it so it would spread fast. Once people followed the page, scammers would send private messages asking for personal info like names, addresses, and sometimes even credit card numbers “to confirm your prize.” The goal was to steal people’s information or trick them into paying fake fees.
Looking back, there were signs it was fake. The page had only been created recently, and the grammar in the post was bad. The real dealership’s official Facebook page didn’t have the same post either. I should have looked up the real dealerships page before commenting on the post, so I could’ve spotted it wasn’t real.
To avoid scams like this, it’s smart to look for verified checkmarks on social media pages, and check how long the page has been active, and never give out personal info or click on random links.
Jeff
Thank you for the important information, glad I know about this scam now. How can you build off this experience to keep yourself safe from scams like these?
asulli
Thank you for taking the time to comment I appreciate it! I plan to use this experience as an eye opener. Now of days there are scams left and right and without a careful eye anyone can fall a victim to one of these. I think in the future im going to double check pages and how long the Facebook pages have been made for to make sure they are legit and are what they say they are.
Juliauna
Good to know there’s scams like this out there, I encountered similar ones in the past.
asulli
Scams are the worst! Thank you for taking the time to look and comment on my blog, Care to share what other scams you have run across?
Raquel
Good written text, you clearly showed how you found out it was a scam and how to avoid it for the next time.
asulli
Thank you I appreciate it a lot, should be more coming up in the future!
Natalia
Hello, thanks for the info, have you ran across any other scams? If so what type?
asulli
Hello, I have ran across one on Facebook Marketplace. This scam is where people will pretend, they are interested in something you are selling, then ask if they can pay with Zelle and have someone pick up your item you are selling for them. They will send you the Zelle then cancel on you, then they will ask for their money back and report the money to Zelle as an accident so Zelle gives them their money back and you sent them money out of your own account.
Wade
Hello, how did this scam teach you a lesson?
asulli
This scam taught me about patience and reading things through. I think these are things everyone looks past these days while online, from skipping an agreement page on your phone to not reading small print. Also I think the biggest thing I learned was if its too good to be true, it is.