Forgery and fraud: AFP has exposed Facebook posts that used manipulated news to promote a fake "energy-saving" device that it claims will cut electricity bills. I can reduce.
When a Filipino user turns on the portable charger and realizes it's been tricked, smoke comes out: the batteries are filled with sand, making him the victim of another Facebook scam.
AFP fact-checkers have uncovered a range of energy scams circulating on Facebook, from fake solar panel incentives in the United States to fake e-bike giveaways in the Philippines. Including the sale of faulty equipment.
And the trend shows how fraudsters around the world are taking advantage of misinformation, creating a vast network of social media users, many of whom are facing life crises and growing energy and Choosing between cost-effectiveness.
"What they did was horrible," said Brinlyn Ayachak, 24, of the Philippines, in an online video that showed sand sticking to her power bank as she cut it with a knife.
"We expected a good product, but they sent us this."
Ayachak created a Facebook page for a legitimate energy appliance supplier with green messages such as "turn off unnecessary lights" along with "special offers" and "flash discounts".
Ayachak said the page became unresponsive after buying the device for 1,500 pesos ($28), a small fortune at a time when inflation is soaring.
He immediately reported it to Facebook but it remained active until this week.
'Scammers follow the headlines'
Ayachak is far from the only victim as social media becomes a breeding ground for everything from fake cryptocurrency ads to "romance" scams to scams to extract people's personal data. Last year, the Philippine government warned of "unscrupulous" savings offers as consumers grapple with unaffordable energy prices.
AFP has exposed Facebook posts that used manipulated news to promote a fake "energy-saving" device that it claimed could cut electricity bills.
The warnings did not fall on deaf ears, with trade figures showing that thousands of these devices are sold monthly. Activists say complaints in online reviews are drowned out by comments from frustrated people trying to cut back on their spending.
Fraudsters are making headlines and not a day goes by when we don't hear about energy conservation, rising gas costs and the need for renewable energy," said Amy Nofsger, AARP's U.S.-based Scam Director. Director of Victim Support. The nonprofit organization told AFP.
"A big network for scammers. Most social networking sites do not fully review the ads on their sites, but many users are unaware of this and trust these ads completely."
The ease with which scammers spread misinformation raises questions about the ability of platforms like Facebook to track paid scam ads, a lucrative revenue stream(Forgery and fraud).
Critics, including Patricia Shuker of the Colorado-based Payne Institute, say algorithms that prioritize content over preferences allow fake ads to take advantage of consumers who participate most.
'Scams are evolving'
A spokesman for Facebook owner Meta said it was taking the "phishing threat" seriously and was taking action, including disabling most of the advertising accounts responsible for the scam reported by AFP verifiers. .
The spokesperson said that the people who spread this type of advertising are permanent, well funded and constantly developing
AFP has a global team of journalists who expose false information as part of Meta's external verification program.
Last October, AFP debunked Facebook posts that claimed free electric bikes were being offered in Indonesia after the government hiked energy prices. Meta said it has impaired runners and biographies associated with swindles.
But Hendro Sutono, a member of a citizens' group called the Indonesian Electric Motorcycle Community, expressed concern over the proliferation of fake shops offering electric bikes on the platform, making it delicate to track them down(Forgery and fraud).
" Con artists take filmland of genuine stores and repost them on their clone records to make them look truly authentic," Sutono told AFP.
Sutono said he fears the scandal(How scammers put wide net on facebook) could tarnish the image of electric vehicles so much that people stop using them.
In most cases in the United States, scammers pose as representatives of utility companies. An Oregon-based company warned its customers last year that "scams are constantly evolving" and that scammers tried to target some using "Facebook Messenger."
"We are seeing an increasing number of public service front groups, which are ostensibly autonomous organizations, but target their audiences through Facebook, Instagram and TikTok," Shukar told AFP.
"They spread misinformation while hiding their true identity."
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