Outline:
Post being shared on Facebook claims that you can click to get a free 52 inch “unsealed” LED TV.
Analysis:
The post is fraudulent. No TVs – unsealed or otherwise – are being given away. The post is a scam designed to trick you into spamming your Facebook friends with the same bogus giveaway and then supplying your personal information on suspect survey websites. The survey sites will share the information you provide with third-party marketers who will subsequently inundate you with unwanted and annoying phone calls, text messages, emails, and surface letters.
Clicking the link opens a bogus website that falsely claims that the TVs are being given away because they were found unsealed in the factory (see screenshot below). The page urges you to share on Facebook and then send a direct link to 15 friends. It then asks you to click a claim link that will lead you to various dodgy survey sites.
Scams like this one are very common on Facebook.
Refer to the following resources for further details about such scams:
What is a Facebook Survey Scam?
Survey Scam List
The following Hoax-Slayer YouTube video covers a similar type of scam that claimed to be giving away a Range Rover:
A screenshot of the scam page the link in the giveaway post opens:
Last updated: September 22, 2016
First published: September 22, 2016
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer
References
What is a Facebook Survey Scam?
Facebook Survey Scams
