Scam alert: Alton Towers and Center Parcs fake Facebook giveaways

The fake 'Alton Towers Breaks' and 'Center Parcs Resorts' pages claim to offer the chance to win getaways worth more than £2,000.

The Alton Towers page was set up on 13 July and has already amassed 74,000 likes. The Center Parcs Resorts page was set up in 2020 and has 33,000 likes.

Posts from the pages both follow the same format, telling users that all they need to do is 'like', 'comment' and 'sign up' in order to be entered into the giveaway. These sophisticated scams use images and branding taken from official websites to create the illusion of authenticity. 

'Alton Towers Breaks' scam competition

'Center Parcs Resorts' scam competition

Users who click the sign-up option at the top of the page are taken to a broken website with no competition details. 

It's unclear if the pages ask for more personal details after users interact with the posts. This fake competition 'sign up' could be tracking users who click through to its website, priming them to receive spam ads from the people running the pages. 

Users who have interacted with these pages can be caught in a vicious cycle where 'likes' inflate the popularity of the page, adding to the illusion of authenticity and further promoting it so it's seen by more people. 

Social media scams

ollow these steps to help protect yourself from social media scams:

• Is the deal 'too good to be true'? If the deal or competition is too good to be true, it probably is. A quick Google search will tell you if the legitimate company is promoting the giveaway.
• Check the URL If you've followed a link, does the URL look suspicious? If it does, leave the site.
• Check your social timeline Is there a high number of people posting or sharing the same thing? They may have been scammed.
• Check the branding Scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated but there might be telltale signs, such as inconsistencies in the branding, that could give them away.
• Send a message If someone you know has posted or shared something suspicious, ask them. Send them a message to make sure, as it may have been intentional.
• Contact the company directly Reach out to the company on social media, via email or over the phone to check whether the competition or giveaway is real.

If you think you've been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/07/scam-alert-alton-towers-and-center-parcs-fake-facebook-giveaways/