IN SHORT: Beware of scammers promising Facebook users huge rewards for simply advertising “company products” on their WhatsApp status. This is just another scam.
The Facebook account Naomi Catherine promises users thousands in payments for simply advertising what it says are “company products” on WhatsApp.
While the account might look unpopular, having only 292 friends on Facebook, it has mastered the art of posting on various Facebook groups with thousands of members.
One of its posts, dated 18 July 2023, reads: “Confirmed,17,700ksh zimeingia za Leo,,kazi ni kuadvertise company products Kwa Whatsapp status then unalipwa according to the number of viewers 1 view n 100bob,30 views ni 3000,malipo ni after every 24 hrs,kujeni tutafute school fee,Type Add nkuconnect.”
This mix of English and Kiswahili translates to: “Confirmed, KSh17,700 meant for today has been deposited. The task is to advertise company products on your WhatsApp status, then you get paid according to the number of views it attracts. One view is KSh100 and 30 views is KSh3,000. Payment is after every 24 hours. Come, we make money for school fees. Type ‘Add’, I connect you.”
The ad has been posted on different Facebook groups here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
But are the offers legit? We checked.
Signs the offers are a scam
The ads include a screenshot of what appears to be messages from users saying they have received their payments.
But there is a catch. If you look closely, all the screenshots are the same. This raises questions around whether new payments have been made or not, and if they have, what the proof is.
Even more questionable is the fact that the same old screenshot is often used by different scammers on Facebook. Africa Check has identified and debunked other scams using the screenshot before.
The large amounts of cash offered to Facebook users just for posting on WhatsApp is also too good to be true. And if fact-checking teaches us anything, it is that if something sounds too good to be true, it’s usually false.
Africa Check reached out to the account to enquire about the offer and we were told to deposit KSh200 as “registration fee”. This is a clear indication of a scam.
To help protect yourself against online fraudsters, read our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.
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