Outline:
“Audi Passion” Facebook Page claims that one Kevin M James, “Owner of AUDI” is giving away two Audi cars. And, all you need to do for a chance to win, claims the Page, is to like and share and then add the comment “Done”.
Analysis:
The Facebook Page is fake. It is certainly not giving away any cars, and Kevin M James is certainly not the “owner of AUDI”. Those who participate by liking, sharing, and commenting have no chance whatsoever of winning anything at all.
The Facebook Page is a scam designed to collect large numbers of Facebook as rapidly as possible. Once the Page has gathered a great many likes, it can then be reused to launch other types of scams. Or, it might be sold on the black market to other scammers.
The image used in the scam post has been stolen from a 2015 news report about the opening of a new Audi dealership.
And, the name “Kevin M James” has been used in several other car giveaway scams on Facebook. In alternative versions of the scam, “Kevin” is supposedly the manager of BMW or Ford. In these scams, he again promises participants the chance to win luxury vehicles in exchange for liking and sharing.
This Hoax-Slayer YouTube video provides more information about like-farming scams:
Refer to the following resources for further details about such scams:
Facebook Like-Farming Scams
Like-Farming Scam List
Last updated: February 22, 2017
First published: February 22, 2017
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer
References
Windsor Audi dealership to open next fall
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
