This week there's a new Facebook scam doing the rounds. A company called 'Alton Towers INC.' has created a Facebook page and started up 3 events called 'Free Alton Towers Tickets Giveaway!' HERE, HERE and HERE - with over 2400 members in total. If you join and invite friends, you will apparently get free tickets - one ticket for 50 friends, 2 tickets for 100 friends, etc. After inviting your Facebook friends, they tell you to go to http://altonfreetickets.in/.
When you visit the website you'll see a pop-up window asking you to complete a survey first to win an iPad. If you don't click on the survey link, but try to close down your browser window and you'll see a pop-up 'Are you sure you want to leave this page? Wait! YOU ARE TODAYS WINNER!'.
If you DO click 'Complete' to go to the competition page, you can answer a simple question to enter the draw. BUT READ THE SMALL PRINT:
Once you sign up to the service, you will join Amazecell Trivia competition with a prize of iPad... Once joining the service, the user will receive a YES/ NO Trivia question at a cost of £5. Every answer will trigger another Trivia question sent to the user at the same cost (up to 6 questions at a cost of £30). every correct answer is a ticket to the big prize draw. the more questions you answer, the better your chances to win. Standard messages charges may apply.
The page, event and website are a SCAM - Amazecell is masquerading as Alton Towers to get you to sign up for their premium rate texts. Unfortunately compers tend to join events and share pages without even checking to see if they are authentic - so these scams spread like wildfire across Facebook. Last year there were two scams promising Tesco and Argos vouchers if you referred a certain number of friends, and the events had hundreds of thousands of members!
PLEASE take the time to check out links, invites, Apps and Facebook pages before Liking, Joining or sending on to friends. It only takes a second to check out the Facebook page of the company - you would see that Alton Towers INC only has 83 fans! Click on the settings icon below their cover photo and REPORT the page as spam or scam. If you're not sure if something's a scam, search for the REAL company's Facebook page - do they mention the competition or offer?
Savvy compers will know that pages like this are a scam as soon as they spot them in their Newsfeed - others are more gullible. Don't pass on anything that you're not sure about, it could be very costly! If you realise a page is a scam, post an update on your Facebook page or let us know about it at www.facebook.com/theprizefinder. If we work together we can spread the word about these scams before too many people part with their personal details!
