Facebook Scams – How to Spot Fake Contest Posts

Everybody would like to win a fabulous trip from a contest found on Facebook. You can also find some other social media channels. Are they real or scams for likes? While a majority of contests and giveaways are real,  there are some that are not. These fake contests are posted just to get likes, personal information to conduct another scam. This is why you need to know the difference and be able to identify Facebook scams.

Facebook Scams

If you own or manage a Facebook page then you know how difficult it is to boost your page views and get people to Like your Facebook page. ( you’re not allowed to make a Like a requirement of entry for a contest) A page with lots of fans can be valuable to companies. They can sell the page, or use it to promote their own products or website. This process is called ‘Like farming’, and a luxury prize is the easiest way to sway people to like and share pages.

Facebook Scams – How to Spot Fake Contest Posts

Below you will find different ways to spot these scams. Some will only have 1 or 2 and maybe even all of them.

No Info on About Page

Legitimate Pages will post information about the company. You will find a website, an address and phone number. If there is no info, how do you know what they are trying to sell or promote? If you are only seeing contest posts, it’s probably a scam.

Facebook Scams

Free phones, TV’s, vacations and RV’s are usually scams

Many times you will find a link to a website. If you choose to click it be aware it could take you somewhere that is no legit.

Spelling Mistakes

We all make spelling mistakes but if an article or contest is full of them, do not enter. That is a dead giveaway the contest is not real.

Date Page Created

Always check the date that the page promoting a contest was created. If the date is recent, chances are it isn’t the real page for the company.

Have you fallen for one of these Facebook scams? Always be aware of what you are sharing and posting. if you need help, you can check out a few sites like That’s Nonsense, Hoax-Slayer or Snopes.

Looking on more info? Check out this post on Fact Checking before sharing.

I hope with these tips, you are able to spot fake posts and not fill up News feeds with stuff that isn’t real.

 

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