Outline:
Facebook Page called “US Powerball” claims that you can get a chance to win a one million dollar jackpot by liking, sharing, and commenting on a promotional post and then clicking a link to enter.
Brief Analysis:
The Facebook Page is fraudulent. It is not associated with Powerball in any way whatsoever and those who participate have no chance of winning anything at all. The Page is a scam designed to trick you into spamming your friends with the bogus Powerball post and then disclosing your personal information on dodgy survey websites.
Detailed Analysis:
According to a Facebook Page that calls itself “US Powerball”, lottery game Powerball is offering free entry via Facebook to a $1 million jackpot. For a chance to win the jackpot, claims a promotional post on the Page, all you need to do is like and share the post, comment “done”, and click a link to an entry form. It claims that the winner will be chosen later in the month and notified “via inbox message”.
However, the Facebook Page is fraudulent. It is not associated with Powerball in any way and it is certainly not offering a $1 million jackpot. Those who decide to participate have zero chance of winning anything at all.
In fact, The Facebook Page is a typical survey scam.
If you like, share, and comment as instructed, you are playing directly into the hands of the scammers by promoting their fraudulent material to all of your Facebook friends. And, of course, you are thereby exposing your friends to the scam as well. Some, who trust your judgment, may follow your lead and decide to participate.
And, if you click the link, you will be taken to a bogus website that appears to host an entry form for the jackpot prize draw. However, the “claim form” will be greyed out and a “Facebook Human Verification” popup window will appear. The window contains a list of links to various offers and surveys. It claims that you must complete a survey as a means of proving that you are human and protecting against spammers:
The links in the window open various “survey” websites that promise the chance to win further prizes by filling in brief and pointless surveys and then providing your name, email address, home address, and phone numbers. However, fine print on the sites will state that, by participating you are giving permission for your information to be shared with “site sponsors” and third-party marketing companies. Thus, soon after participating, you will begin receiving unwanted and annoying phone calls, text messages, emails, and letters promoting various products and services that you no doubt neither want nor need.
In some versions, you may be tricked into providing your mobile number and thereby subscribing to a very expensive SMS “club” that will charge you several dollars for every text message they send you.
And, alas, no matter how many surveys you complete, you will never get your jackpot entry or get the chance to win the $1 million, which, of course, never existed to begin with.
Scams like this one are very common on Facebook. Be wary of any Facebook Page or post that claims that you can win cash or valuable prizes just by liking, sharing and filling in surveys. Don’t be tempted to participate in these scams “just in case” they are legitimate. By doing so, your are assisting criminals and potentially exposing your friends to their fraudulent activity.
Last updated: November 20, 2016
First published: November 20, 2016
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer
References
Powerball 2016 Like-Farming Scam Facebook Page
Facebook Scams
What is a Facebook Survey Scam?
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.net/us-powerball-free-1-million-jackpot-facebook-survey-scam/