14 DAY TRIAL // A fake Virgin Australia Facebook page has been used to promise users free tickets. The page is part of what’s known as a like-farming scam.
“Great news, we're giving away 5 tickets each to 50 people for a 2 week trip to Sydney Australia in a 5 star hotel with $2,000 spending money. Want to win? Just Share & Like this photo! Good luck, competition ends in 48 hours, winners will be messaged and announced on Facebook,” the bogus post reads.
As Hoax Slayer highlights, this is another attempt by scammers to trick Facebook customers into liking their fake page. When it harvests a large number of likes, it can be sold on the underground market or repurposed to advertise shady products and websites.
Virgin Australia is aware of the scam Facebook page. The company says it has taken action to have it removed.
However, it’s important to remember that such scams are all over Facebook. So if you come across such a promotion, treat it with maximum suspicion. If a contest is not advertised on a company’s official website or social media accounts, it’s most likely run by scammers.