Fake Prize Scammers Lurk on Celebrity Facebook Pages
How Scammers Use Celebrity Pages to Push Advance Fee Fraud
tl;dr
Scammers often reply to fan comments on celebrity Facebook pages, falsely claiming that the fan has won a prize and should send a message to claim the prize. Victims are tricked into sending money and personal information to claim prizes that do not exist.
Fake Prize Announcements on Facebook
Scammers continue to target fans who comment on official Facebook Pages belonging to high-profile celebrities. These fraudsters post replies to fan comments claiming that the person has won a special prize, giveaway, or contest. The message usually instructs the supposed winner to make contact via private message to arrange delivery of the prize.
Here’s an example posted as a reply to a fan on the official Oprah Winfrey Facebook Page:
"You’ve been selected has a lucky winner of Today's Oprah Winfrey private giveaway program ,to claim your winnings prize send a direct message to this FB account."
The scammers often use a derivative of the celebrity’s name along with the celebrity’s photo as their profile picture to make the reply look more authentic.
How the Scam Works
Once a fan responds to the message, the scammer will continue the conversation privately. They typically pose as the celebrity’s representative or even the celebrity themselves.
The victim is told that before the prize can be released, they must pay various upfront “processing fees” or “delivery charges.” The scammer may also ask for personal details, such as addresses, phone numbers, and banking information.
Of course, there is no prize. The goal is to trick the victim into sending money and handing over sensitive information. Victims will never receive the promised prize, nor will they ever get their money back. If they have given the scammers a large amount of personal and financial information, they may also have their identities stolen.
Why It Works
This type of scam exploits people’s admiration for celebrities and their excitement at the prospect of winning something valuable. Seeing the fake message appear directly beneath their own comment on a genuine celebrity Page can make the scam seem more convincing.
The use of a celebrity’s name and photo adds another layer of false credibility. Many victims are caught off guard because they assume that comments on official Pages are trustworthy.
Oprah’s Facebook Page admins quickly removed the particular scam comment that I’m discussing here. However, such scam posts only need to be up for a short time to pull in victims. Once the victim has started to communicate privately with the scammer, it doesn’t matter if the original comment is removed. It’s too late by then.
How to Stay Safe
Be wary of any unexpected prize notifications on social media, even if they appear to come from a verified celebrity Page.
Genuine celebrities and their teams do not randomly select fans in comment sections and ask them to send private messages to claim prizes.
Genuine comments from celebrities or their admins are unlikely to contain significant spelling and grammatical errors like the example I discuss here.
Never send money or personal details in response to prize claims on social media.
If you see suspicious replies, report them directly to Facebook so they can be removed.
Conclusion
Scammers who target fans on celebrity Facebook Pages are running a variation of the long-established advance fee scam. Their tactic is simple but effective. They exploit the trust people have in celebrities to trick them into sending money and sensitive information.
Staying alert and being aware of how these fake prize scams work is the best protection.
A screenshot of the scam comment:
Sadly this is not one of Oprah's favorite things giveaway!