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‘No Harm Done?’ Think Again! – 4 Reasons Why Participating In Bogus Facebook Giveaways is NOT Harmless

Facebook is awash with bogus competition pages. You know, the ones that promise amazing prizes such as store vouchers, holidays, luxury vehicles, ocean cruises, free air travel, and even houses in exchange for liking, sharing, commenting, and filling in surveys. And, despite many warnings about such scams, very large numbers of Facebook users still fall for them every day.

Of course, there is no disgrace in getting caught by  a scam. We are all potentially vulnerable to such ruses in one way or  another. Initially, these victims deserve our sympathy and help so that they can  avoid being caught by such scams in the future. And, a great many people do listen to what their  more experienced friends tell them.  So, they don’t get caught again.

But, alas, it  seems that there are at least a few serial offenders that get caught out by the same types of scam over and over again, despite repeated warnings from their Facebook friends.



Often, after being informed that they have participated in bogus Facebook prize offers, these serial  offenders  will dismiss the issue with comments such as “oh well, no harm done”, “can’t hurt”, “it was worth a try”, “it’s just a bit of fun”,  or a variety of similar justifications.

The problem is, of course, that participating in these scams can indeed do harm, not only to the person who participates, but to other users as well, and to the Facebook network as a whole.

To clarify, the  rather blunt words I’ve penned below are certainly not aimed at inexperienced Facebook  users  who have been tricked  once or twice by such  scams. These people are victims and, as I note above, many of them will learn from the experience and they won’t get caught again.  The points I outline here are aimed squarely at those Facebook users who still decide to participate in  these  Facebook giveaways  despite being informed over and over again that the giveaways are scams.

Here’s  why the ‘no harm done’ excuse doesn’t hold water:

1: Unscrupulous strangers  get hold of your personal  information.

To participate in these    bogus competitions, you will usually be  required to provide your name, home address, email address, and phone numbers, supposedly so that you can go in the draw  for a prize. Fine print on these “survey” and “offer” websites will state that your information will be shared with third party marketing companies and site sponsors. So, you will end up being inundated with unwanted phone calls, text messages, emails, and surface letters promoting a variety of products that you neither want nor need. Or you may find that, by participating, you have  been subscribed to a very expensive SMS “service” that will charge you several dollars for every inane and pointless text message they send you.

But, beyond that, do you REALLY want people who are willing to use such underhand tactics to know where you live and how to contact you? After all, these people have shown themselves to be inherently dishonest. They lied about having a prize to give away.  They lied about being associated with a particular company or brand.    They lied in order to  manipulate you into taking actions that promote their fraudulent material and make them money.

These people are deceitful, dishonest, and are quite obviously more than willing to exploit the gullibility of others  to further their own needs. In other words, these people should certainly not be trusted with any of your personal details.

Even if, as with some initial versions of these scams, all the  scammers  get out  of you are likes, shares, and comments,  then they have  still gathered useful information about you. They know that, since you participated in  one such bogus prize offer, you may well participate in further offerings. And, now they can reach out to you via Facebook with more sophisticated  scam attempts that aim  to gather a lot more of your personal information.

2: You expose your  friends  to the same scams.

Every time you participate in one of these bogus promotions, you ensure that your Facebook friends will see that you  have done so.  When you like, share, and comment on one of the scam posts, you are effectively advertising the post to your Facebook friends. Thus, at least a few of your friends will likely put their personal information at risk by participating as well. After all, many of your friends will trust your judgment and therefore will be more willing to participate because the scam post came directly from you. So, if they get caught out and divulge their information, it’s on you! They are unlikely to view you in a good light once they find out the giveaway you recommended to them was just a way of harvesting their personal information.

3: You are aiding and abetting Facebook scammers.

Even if you still think that these fake promotions are just a bit of harmless fun, consider this. By participating, you are helping scammers make money via fraudulent activities. By liking, sharing, and commenting, you effectively become the fraudster’s personal spammer. You are helping scammers victimise innocent Facebook users, some of whom will be your friends. In other words, by  participating, you become a willing accomplice  to online scammers. Is  that  really something that you want to do?



These scams only work because so many people participate. The lower the number of  people who participate in one of these scams, the less effective  it will be for the scammers. If the scammers stop making as much money out of such fraudulent promotions, they will eventually stop launching so many of them. So, by participating, not only are you helping the scammers in the short term, you are encouraging them to continue creating even more such scams.

4: You  appear foolish in front of your friends.

Last but not least, by participating, you are making yourself look rather foolish and naive in front of at least some of your Facebook friends. Especially those who have repeatedly warned you about such scams. After a while, some of them may start to doubt your judgment, not only regarding the scam posts, but with other things as well. If your friends see that you continually participate in these scams despite  being warned about them, you will damage your credibility and reputation.


So, if you’ve  found  yourself touting the “no harm done” justification,    I respectfully suggest that you rethink it.

Your friends will thank  you for it. And, Facebook might be just a little  safer and less cluttered with garbage.







References
Facebook Survey Scam List
What is a Facebook Survey Scam?
Like-Farming Scam List
Facebook Like-Farming Scams



Original Source : http://hoax-slayer.net/no-harm-done-think-again-4-reasons-why-participating-in-bogus-facebook-giveaways-is-not-harmless/