![Six Ways to Spot a Fake Social Media Giveaway](https://townsquare.media/site/39/files/2021/01/RS19611_GettyImages-875508034-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Six Ways to Spot a Fake Social Media Giveaway
Who doesn’t want $500 in gift cards, free groceries, or designer clothes? It’s easy to be tempted by social media giveaways. But before you like, comment or share a social post in hopes of winning some big prize, make sure that giveaway is the real deal.
Many of these social media giveaways are fake. They are created by scammers as a way to get as many social media likes and comments as possible. This technique, known as like-farming, has several different goals. Often, the giveaway post itself is initially harmless – albeit fake. But when the scammer collects enough likes and shares, they will edit the post and add something malicious, such as a link to malware. Other times, once scammers reach their target number of likes, they strip the page’s original content and use it to promote spammy products or sell it on the black market.
Some giveaways are real. But scammers often use similar language and pretend they are part of an official giveaway to look real.
The Better Business Bureau offers tips on what you can look for to make sure social media giveaways are legit.
If you’ve spotted a scam, whether or not you’ve lost money, report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your report can help others avoid falling victim to scams.
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