According to this widely shared Facebook post, UK based retailer Argos is trying to make the coronavirus lockdown ‘a bit more fun’ by giving away hundreds of TVs.
The post claims that all you need to do if you would like to win is share and comment. It features images that supposedly depict some of the giveaway TVs.
The post is published on a newly created Facebook Page that calls itself ‘Argos Retail’.
However, neither the post or the Facebook Page it comes from have any connection to Argos and those who decide to participate have no chance whatsoever of winning a TV or any other prize.
The supposed giveaway is a scam designed to promote the fake Argos page and gather many more Page likes.
The images of the TVs are stolen from an online auction listing that ended back in 2015.
If you share and comment and then like the Facebook Page as requested, you are helping scammers built a much larger audience for their future scam campaigns. Please do not help the scammers do their dirty deeds by participating.
Note that there is no mention of the supposed TV giveaway on the genuine Argos page, which features Facebook’s blue “verified’ icon.
At any one time, there are hundreds if not thousands of these giveaway scams on Facebook. At the moment, many of them are attempting to exploit news of the coronavirus pandemic in various ways.
Don’t be taken in. Many versions try to trick you into divulging your personal details on dodgy websites. Keep in mind that the promised prizes don’t exist and you have no chance of winning.
A screenshot of the scam post:
Transcript of the scam post:
We thought we’d make this lock-down a bit more fun so we’re giving away hundreds of free Samsung 4k TV’s within the next 30 days. Just share then comment if you’d like to win one.. Deliveries will be made to the winners within 24 hours of being picked.
Good luck everyone!
our page!
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
