Facebook “Instant Winners” Rewards Users with $50,000 (€40,000), Scam

Facebook customers should be on the lookout for a scam that purports to come from the company’s “Instant Winners” department. Those who take the bait not only help the fraudsters make a lot of money, but they can also end up with an inflated phone bill.

The message is simple, but it can be highly effective in attracting attention:

=====FACEBOOK USER NOTICE======
CONGRATULATIONS
Your $50,000.00 reward on Facebook. Please CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS HERE:
Thanks,
FB Instant Winners

As Hoax Slayer reports, users who click on the link are taken to a website where they’re requested to provide their email address.

Then, suddenly, there’s no mention of the $50,000 (€40,000), the prize being replaced by a number of free gift card offers for which the victim must take part in various surveys.

At this point, those who accept are asked to enter other personal information, including their mobile phone number. Internauts who fall for it and hand over their number are automatically subscribed to all sorts of premium SMS services that they surely don’t want.

Once again, we remind users that neither Facebook not any other company will hand out large amounts of money without a good reason.

Also, users who like to hunt for special offers are recommended to do so only on the companies’ official websites and official social media accounts.

Finally, avoid providing sensitive information on random websites. Giving out your email address or your phone number may not seem such a big deal, but these days fraudsters can utilize such details to commit all sorts of cybercrimes.

As the start of the London 2012 Olympics approaches, the number of lottery scams has increased, all sorts of committees and organizations being made up to serve some malicious purpose. Be on the lookout! Stay safe!