IN SHORT: A Facebook page that first used a local rapper’s name is offering Nigerians a lot of money if they like and share a video. This is a tactic known as engagement bait and the goal is to get greater reach. Ignore the account’s posts.
The Facebook page Young king is offering N500,000 (about US$644) to Nigerians for engaging with some of its posts.
Its 16 September 2023 post reads: “Anyone that watching my video and like & share it I'm going to paid that person 500k Olamide badoo.”
The post has attracted more than 130 comments and over 600 likes.
But can the page be trusted? We checked.
Engagement bait to increase reach
According to its page transparency section, the page was created on 8 May 2023 and first named “Olamide badoo”. It used the name of popular Nigerian rapper and singer Olamide Adedeji, popularly known as Badoo.
It then changed its name to “Young king” on 2 October, but continued to post the rapper’s photos and videos. It’s unlikely that a celebrity would change the name of their social media account, as it might confuse their fans. This is much more characteristic of a fake account impersonating a celebrity.
The artist’s official page is Olamide. It was created on 26 July 2015, has over 3 million followers and is verified by Meta. While the suspicious page also has a relatively large following, with over 142,000 followers, it does not carry the blue tick verification badge.
The suspicious page asks users to share and like a video to receive the money. This is a common tactic known as engagement bait, which is aimed at increasing the post’s reach. Arguably this tactic is working, as the page has attracted followers quickly.
We also couldn’t find any similar posts on the rapper’s official page. There is no proof that the suspicious page is in any way linked to the rapper.
For more tips, read our guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.
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