Scam Facebook ads promising free Network Rail travel cards
Fraudsters are trying to lure victims on social media with the promise of free train travel for a year, writes Which? magazine.
These dodgy Facebook ads claim Network Rail is giving away 150 travel cards, and all you need to do to get one is complete a survey and pay a small delivery fee.
Scammers are creating ads for fake travel cards to steal your personal and financial information. If you see the below ad on Facebook, don’t click on the link, warns Which?.
If you do click it, you’ll be taken to a dodgy website that asks you to provide your name and location and answer five questions. This site also contains fake reviews about the ‘amazing’ offer.
Once you’ve completed the survey, you’ll be asked to play a game where you pick a box to ‘win’. Unsurprisingly, whichever box you click will be the winning one.
You’ll then be taken to a page which asks for your name, address and bank details to make a payment of £3 to cover postage. If you enter your details, you’ll be giving them to scammers.
The information you provide can be used to scam you now or at a later date. For example, a scammer may call you some weeks or months down the line claiming to be from your bank. They’ll use the details you’ve previously handed over to convince you the call is genuine.
Says Lisa Webb, Which? Consumer Law Expert:
“Consumers should be on the lookout for scam ads on Facebook falsely claiming
“If you click on these ads, you’ll be taken to a dodgy website which asks you to provide your name and location, complete a survey and then enter your bank details to make a payment of £3 to cover postage for the travel card.
“You won’t receive the travel card and you’ll be out of pocket by £3, but more worryingly the information you parted with can then be used to scam you at a later date. The Online Safety Bill desperately needs to be passed into law to crack down on the problem of fraudulent ads on online platforms.”
To report Facebook ads, select the three dots on the ad and select ‘report’. If you give away bank details or lose money to a scam, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card and report the scam to Action Fraud. If you’re in Scotland, inform Police Scotland by calling 101.
