{"id":1454,"date":"2019-04-06T19:33:38","date_gmt":"2019-04-06T19:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/?p=1454"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T17:00:00","slug":"Fake-'Agent-Linda-Smith'-Facebook-Page-Used-For-Lottery-Scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/?p=1454","title":{"rendered":"Fake &#8216;Agent Linda Smith&#8217; Facebook Page Used For Lottery Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Outline:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nFacebook Page supposedly belongs to &#8216;Agent Linda Smith R&#8217;, a government \u00a0official who helps people to claim money they think they have won \u00a0in Facebook lotteries.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- HS Net Top Content Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0355887770822260\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"4870821038\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Brief Analysis:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nThe Facebook Page is fraudulent. It is a resource used to help convince scam victims that they really have won a large sum of money in a &#8216;Facebook Lottery&#8217; and thereby trick \u00a0them into sending their money and personal information to criminals.  \u00a0The profile image on the bogus Page depicts, not any &#8216;Agent \u00a0Smith&#8217; as claimed, but rather Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.  \u00a0There is no such thing as a Facebook Lottery and no winners. This is just one example of many such fake Facebook Pages that are used in advance fee scams.<\/p>\n<div class=\"example\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>Example:<\/b><\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1.jpg\" data-rel=\"penci-gallery-image-content\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2063\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/fake-agent-linda-smith-facebook-page-used-for-lottery-scams\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,665\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"agent-linda-smith-scam-1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1-300x249.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2063\" src=\"https:\/\/hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1.jpg\" alt=\"Agent Linda Smith Scam facebook Page\" width=\"800\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1-300x249.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1-768x638.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/agent-linda-smaith-scam-1-241x200.jpg 241w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- HSNet Article Center --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0355887770822260\" data-ad-slot=\"5727909035\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p>\n<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Detailed Analysis:<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nThe Facebook Page depicted in the above screenshot claims to belong to a government \u00a0official \u00a0named &#8216;Agent Linda Smith R&#8217;. The Page includes a cover image that appears to depict a group of &#8216;Facebook representatives&#8217; presiding over a \u00a0Facebook lottery function. Signage in the image suggests \u00a0that Facebook is giving away $2 million to each of thirty lucky winners. The \u00a0Page&#8217;s profile picture depicts a woman who one might assume is none other than Agent Linda Smith herself.<\/p>\n<p>However, the Facebook Page is fraudulent. It has \u00a0no connection to any government organisation. Nor is it associated with any Facebook lottery or giveaway. And, the profile image certainly does not depict an &#8216;Agent Linda Smith&#8217;. The Profile picture actually depicts Facebook&#8217;s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. The image was <a title=\"Sheryl Sandberg (Chief Operating Officer, Facebook)\" href=\"http:\/\/redstatewatcher.com\/article.asp?id=3696\">stolen from an online news report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So, why, you might ask, would fraudsters create such a Page? In fact, the fake agent Page is just a resource set up by criminals to help convince victims that they have won money in a nonexistent Facebook Lottery.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s how the scam works:<\/p>\n<p>You receive \u00a0a Facebook message or email claiming that you have \u00a0won a large prize in a lottery organised by Facebook. \u00a0The message advises you to contact one &#8216;Agent Linda Smith&#8217; to begin the process of claiming your unexpected lottery win. The message will instruct you \u00a0to click a link to visit &#8216;Agent \u00a0Smith&#8217;s&#8217; Facebook Page and send her a claim request \u00a0via the Page&#8217;s message system.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Agent Smith&#8217; will quickly get back to you and explain that she is a government agent who&#8217;s job it is to oversee your prize claim and work with Facebook to ensure that you get the promised funds.<\/p>\n<p>She will also claim that, before getting your prize money, you must \u00a0pay upfront fees for various expenses related to the processing of your claim. She will warn that, the requested fees cannot be payed out of the prize money itself under any circumstances and that, if you don&#8217;t pay up quickly, your prize will \u00a0be given to somebody else. You will likely be asked to wire the money via a funds transfer system such as Western Union. After you pay up the first time, &#8216;Agent Smith&#8217; will likely send further requests for even more money, ostensibly to cover other, unexpected expenses.<\/p>\n<p>During the \u00a0course of the scam, &#8216;Agent Smith&#8217; will ask you to provide a large amount of your personal and financial information, ostensibly to verify your identity and allow the transfer of your prize funds.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, after she has extracted as much money and personal information from you as she can, &#8216;Agent Smith&#8217; will simply disappear and you will never hear from her again.<\/p>\n<p>All of the money you will be sent will be pocketed by the criminals running the scam. And, if they have managed to gain enough of your personal information, the criminals may also steal your identity. Or, they may sell your information to other criminals who will in turn attempt to steal your identity. Of course, you will never receive the promised lottery prize, which never existed to begin \u00a0with.<\/p>\n<p>There are many similar &#8211; and equally bogus &#8211; &#8216;agent&#8217; \u00a0pages on Facebook that are used in such advance fee scam campaigns. In fact, there is another fake Facebook Page that also claims to belong to an Agent Linda Smith. The Profile image used on \u00a0this alternative \u00a0version depicts \u00a0Nikki Haley, the \u00a0Governor of South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>The bottom line? There IS no Facebook Lottery. Nor is Mark \u00a0Zuckerberg randomly giving away millions of dollars in grants as a means of thanking Facebook users. Be wary of any message that makes such a claim and do not be taken in by any Facebook Pages or websites that they link to, even if they look \u00a0legitimate. Often, the initial scam message will appear to come directly from one of your Facebook friends who will claim that he or she \u00a0has seen your name on a &#8216;winners list&#8217; and \u00a0suggests that \u00a0you urgently contact an &#8216;agent&#8217; for more information. In fact, these messages will be sent via Facebook accounts that have been either cloned or hijacked.<\/p>\n<p>\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Third Content Ad Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0355887770822260\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1909104632\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- HS Net Bottom AdLinks --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-0355887770822260\" data-ad-slot=\"1358951439\" data-ad-format=\"link\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"date\">Last updated: October 30, 2016<br \/>\nFirst published: July 22, 2016<br \/>\nBy Brett M. Christensen<br \/>\n<a class=\"foot\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.com\/about.shtml\">About Hoax-Slayer<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"ref\">References<br \/>\n<a title=\"Sheryl Sandberg (Chief Operating Officer, Facebook)\" href=\"http:\/\/redstatewatcher.com\/article.asp?id=3696\">Sheryl Sandberg (Chief Operating Officer, Facebook)<\/a><br \/>\n<a title=\"Facebook Lottery Scams Still Claiming Victims\" href=\"http:\/\/hoax-slayer.net\/facebook-lottery-scams-still-claiming-victims\/\">Facebook Lottery Scams Still Claiming Victims<\/a><br \/>\n<a title=\"Facebook Promotion, Lottery and Award Scams\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.com\/facebook-promo-advance-fee-scams.shtml\">Facebook Promotion, Lottery and Award Scams<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/br><\/br> Original Source : <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/fake-agent-linda-smith-facebook-page-used-for-lottery-scams\/\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.hoax-slayer.net\/fake-agent-linda-smith-facebook-page-used-for-lottery-scams\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Outline: Facebook Page supposedly belongs to &#8216;Agent Linda Smith R&#8217;, a government \u00a0official who helps people to claim money they think they have won \u00a0in Facebook lotteries. Brief Analysis: The Facebook Page is fraudulent. It is a resource used to help convince scam victims that they really have won a large sum of money in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6890,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hoax-inggris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syyhoaxanalyzer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}