What is the scam on Facebook?

[kbanes]

Last week, I saw multiple advertisements in my facebook timeline for a company that was selling Mini 3s and 4s for $55.. I cant remeber the name of the company, but their add indicated that they had sold 55, and the counter was incrementing.
What was the scam? Were they just trying to steal the 55 dollars? Get account info?
My son asked me about it, and I told him to ignore it, but I could tell thqt he was still contemplating it, since I couldnt explain it.

 

[GFields]

Old adage, "If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is."

 

[msinger]

What was the scam?

Another day, another new scam on Facebook. I often see scams in my Facebook feed too.

 

[Droning on and on...]

In keeping with @GFields post, I'm always gobsmacked that anyone at all believes such prima facia impossible deals. They wouldn't have made the cast if they weren't sure they'd get some bites and reel in a few suckers.

Who are those people? Relatives of Rip van Winkle? Just awakened in this world?

Corollary to @GFields wisdom: There's no such thing as a free lunch.

 

[msinger]

I'm always gobsmacked that anyone at all believes such prima facia impossible deals

It's a game of numbers. Ask enough people and someone will eventually buy.

"There's a sucker born every minute"

 

[Cafguy]

Probably like that TV add - "I bought a DJI Drone for 30 bucks at auction" scam. They dont tell you it takes thousands of bids at 3 bucks a bid But you "got" the "Drone" for 30 Dollars!

 

[Droning on and on...]

Well, if I can pay with some of the $100,000,000 fortune I have in Monopoly money I've saved over 61 years I'm in

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

The people who believe these offers are the ones who were unable to recognize Superman behind Clark Kent’s glasses.

 

[EssenYVR]

What was the scam?

The scam is: you send them money.

That's it.

 

[mavic3usa]

The scam part is where those who are unsure and dip their toe into teh water thinking they are smart engage in a conversation with teh seller but the seller is more wily than the buyer and ultimately talk them out of their own money.

 

[Frank Dracman]

Just one more reason to hate Facebook. Never had an account and never will.

 

[Vic Moss]

I always report those post as scams on Facebook. But apparently the FB AI doesn't like it when I do that. I am now no longer able to report them as scams. When I click the report button, it's no longer an option.

Seems to me FB is in on it.

 

[Radioman]

I always report those post as scams on Facebook. But apparently the FB AI doesn't like it when I do that. I am now no longer able to report them as scams. When I click the report button, it's no longer an option.

Seems to me FB is in on it.

Same thing happened to me. Facistbook is complicit doesn't like it when you call them out.

 

[howardK]

I never get scammed on Facebook as I terminated my account 13 years ago. My second wife (now my second x-wife) asked why she couldn't access my page. I told her it was for friends only and she is (was) not my friend.

 

[MARK (LI)]

In the New York Metropolitan area there were actually dozens of those ads every day...I report them to FB, and they do nothing...what is interesting is that the ad says that you are purchase protected by FB...in all fairness to the "poster" of those ads, I believe they are not aware that their FB access to marketplace has been hijacked.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

Last week, I saw multiple advertisements in my facebook timeline for a company that was selling Mini 3s and 4s for $55.. I cant remeber the name of the company, but their add indicated that they had sold 55, and the counter was incrementing.
What was the scam? Were they just trying to steal the 55 dollars? Get account info?
My son asked me about it, and I told him to ignore it, but I could tell thqt he was still contemplating it, since I couldnt explain it.

I checked one of these out before, using a credit card I never use, was expiring soon and one I didn't mind cancelling. I bought the drone, nothing came, I called the credit card, they refunded the money and sent a new card with new number and exp date. No big deal. I've never done that since then. but I was just curious.

 

[mavic3usa]

I checked one of these out before, using a credit card I never use, was expiring soon and one I didn't mind cancelling. I bought the drone, nothing came, I called the credit card, they refunded the money and sent a new card with new number and exp date. No big deal. I've never done that since then. but I was just curious.

So you helped the criminal who might have got away with the money and your credit card company covered for your mistake and covered the bill for you by giving you a refund? Somebody else probably got hurt during this, you just don't know who. Usually it's someone else's bank account broken into for unauthorized use and they take the money and leave the [elderly] account holder to settle up (which sometimes doesn't happened because it takes too long for the account holder to realize they are being jacked). Using an expiring credit card that you don't mind cancelling...is not a solution.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

So you helped the criminal who might have got away with the money and your credit card company covered for your mistake and covered the bill for you by giving you a refund? Somebody else probably got hurt during this, you just don't know who. Usually it's someone else's bank account broken into for unauthorized use and they take the money and leave the [elderly] account holder to settle up (which sometimes doesn't happened because it takes too long for the account holder to realize they are being jacked). Using an expiring credit card that you don't mind cancelling...is not a solution.

Just did it once out of curiosity. I'd never do it again. I knew it was risky and don't feel like giving my credit companies money away again. No one was hurt in this transaction, except maybe the banks pocket book.

 

[EssenYVR]

The scam is: you send them money.

That's it.

I was being a bit facetious with this response, but that really is pretty much what's going on.

There once was a time when companies had a reputation to uphold, and you could place a certain amount of trust in them because it was important for them to have that credibility and trust. It took a big investment in capital to set up and staff a company, and the owners had a vested interest in making sure that they had a return on that capital - that meant staying in business long enough to earn sufficient revenue to at least cover that setup cost.

The Internet has changed all that. The creation of online marketplaces like Amazon and the web sites for major retailers like Walmart, Home Depot, etc. allow any Tom **** or Harry to set up shop for virtually nothing. They have no investment to pay back, and therefore no motivation to build trust. If their business fails, it hasn't really cost them anything.

Sad to say, but a new business model has emerged where unscrupulous people set up the shell of a company, advertise products, collect from unsuspecting customers, and when the complaints start rolling in they just shut it down and then move on to the next company.

This is why a savvy customer will buy not only a reputable brand, but make sure it's being sold by a reputable retailer. When you're in an online marketplace, double-check to make sure who's actually selling it. Half the stuff sold on the Walmart web site is coming from third parties you've probably never heard of. Same goes for Amazon. I always look for "Sold by Amazon" on listings to try to avoid scams.

Today, more than ever before, it's "caveat emptor".

 

[rwilliam99]

I was being a bit facetious with this response, but that really is pretty much what's going on.

There once was a time when companies had a reputation to uphold, and you could place a certain amount of trust in them because it was important for them to have that credibility and trust. It took a big investment in capital to set up and staff a company, and the owners had a vested interest in making sure that they had a return on that capital - that meant staying in business long enough to earn sufficient revenue to at least cover that setup cost.

The Internet has changed all that. The creation of online marketplaces like Amazon and the web sites for major retailers like Walmart, Home Depot, etc. allow any Tom **** or Harry to set up shop for virtually nothing. They have no investment to pay back, and therefore no motivation to build trust. If their business fails, it hasn't really cost them anything.

Sad to say, but a new business model has emerged where unscrupulous people set up the shell of a company, advertise products, collect from unsuspecting customers, and when the complaints start rolling in they just shut it down and then move on to the next company.

This is why a savvy customer will buy not only a reputable brand, but make sure it's being sold by a reputable retailer. When you're in an online marketplace, double-check to make sure who's actually selling it. Half the stuff sold on the Walmart web site is coming from third parties you've probably never heard of. Same goes for Amazon. I always look for "Sold by Amazon" on listings to try to avoid scams.

Today, more than ever before, it's "caveat emptor".

The skeptic in me would argue it isn't just the "Tom's" of the world doing this - how many large companies regularly "re-brand" themselves? My opinion on that is that they've so totally messed up their reputation with brand X, they need to re-brand to kind of start over -so they can do it all again (I'm looking at you Comcast as a big example).

But yes, today, more than ever it is caveat emptor - and "if it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is".