Outline
Facebook Page claiming to be the official Kmart Australia page offers giveaways of expensive items such as TVs and iPads to users who like the page and share its images.
Brief Analysis
The Page is not the official Kmart Facebook Page and has no connection to the real Kmart at all. The Page is a like-farming scam designed to accumulate likes and shares under false pretences. There are no prizes and no winners. Kmart has warned users about the scam page via its genuine Facebook Page.
Example
Detailed Analysis
Messages currently appearing on Facebook are promoting a Facebook Page that bills itself as the “official Kmart Australia Facebook page”. Visitors to the Page are told that they can enter to win expensive prizes such as LED TVs and iPads just by “liking” the Page and sharing images of the supposed prizes.
However, the Page is NOT the official Kmart Australia Facebook Page as claimed. In fact, it has no affiliation or connection with Kmart whatsoever. Kmart has warned users about the bogus Page via its genuine Facebook Page, noting:
Thanks to our fans for letting us know of another page acting as Kmart Australia. This page is currently offering a competition to win a TV and is not affiliated with Kmart Australia. Please be aware that this is a scam and we have contacted Facebook to have the page removed.
The fake Page is designed to trick users into liking and sharing its material. There are no prizes and no winners. The supposed prizes are just the bait used to trick people into liking and sharing. The scammers responsible for the fake page have stolen and misused the Kmart name and logo in a lame attempt to make their claims seem more legitimate.
The scammers, known as like-farmers, are intent on amassing as many likes for their bogus pages as possible. And, by getting people to share their material and add comments, they are effectively promoting their scam to a much wider audience, which equates to even more likes.
Pages with high like numbers can later be sold on the black market, renamed and re-branded to suit the goals of the buyer, and used to promote the buyer’s products or services. They can also be used to launch survey scams, possibly collect personal information from participants, and other types of nefarious activity.
Like-farming is becoming more and more common on Facebook with new bogus Pages offering expensive prizes appearing on the network every day.
Do not further the goals of these unscrupulous users by liking and sharing their material. Don’t be fooled. Be wary of any Facebook message that claims that you can win an expensive prize just by liking a Page or sharing a picture.
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
