Competition via PM from friends – be careful, advertising method!

How do you make a competition with combined advertising terror so that it appears trustworthy and many people register?
That's right, you can recommend it via PM in group chats.

This is exactly what has happened several times in the recent past. Several users were surprised why a competition was recommended to them via chat.

A great way to win a new iPad...

Unfortunately, there are currently some unanswered questions at this point:

Is the creator of the chat a real friend or a script that friend fell for?
Is it a hacked account?
If anyone has any answers, we would be happy to receive this information and add it here.

Further on: that's what's behind the link

The further process can be wonderfully illustrated with pictures. This “great way to win a new iPad” comes with a stupid question:

(Screenshot: http://935782.com/ )

A small note: the question in step 1 has no value for the intention of the competition, even if the answer is incorrect it continues. Well, we don't know whether you can win anything if you answer incorrectly. We basically don't know whether anyone will win anything in the end.

Click and click – let’s move on

We can choose what we want:

(Screenshot: http://www.ausgewaehlter-gewinner.de)

Small but important note under the selection area:

Apple is not the organizer or a sponsor of this competition

Basically it was almost clear, but in plain text it always reads a little better. And our data set, which we are revealing here, is slowly taking shape.

(Screenshot: http://www.ausgewaehlter-gewinner.de)

In the further course of this campaign, you must reveal your own address, date of birth and telephone number. A kind of quick test checks the data at least superficially for its correctness and prevents progress if the information is completely obscure.

Ouch – the participation clauses

And once again you are obliged to make advertising contacts by participating.
This is no longer unknown to us and has previously been used specifically in “competitions” where the actual manufacturers of the products to be won were rather negative about the matter. Here, too, it is doubtful that Apple thinks the strong advertising for the competition through its products is great.

(Screenshot: http://www.ausgewaehlter-gewinner.de)

New in the method: Cookies are set through which surfing behavior can be analyzed and advertising is sent.

Rumms – call me!

There is no way around it, both boxes have to be ticked. After providing your address, age and telephone number, there are now a few questions, the answers to which allow you to create a transparent profile for data traders.

(Screenshot: http://www.ausgewaehlter-gewinner.de)

We stopped at this point because it is more than clear what this is about. A quick look at the organizer and the sponsors.

Data traders and their customers?

The organizer is the following company

(Screenshot: http://www.ausgewaehlter-gewinner.de)

If you go to the Planet49 GmbH homepage, you will find nothing but competitions. All following the same pattern. If you search Google for search results, you will read sentences like from the results

Planet 49 GmbH (app rip-off/fraud)

(Source: http://forum.sat1.de/showthread.php?13983-Planet-49-GmbH-(App-Abzocke-Fraud) )

Since we are in contact with an agency that works in reputation management, we will simply pass on this competition. The pattern used is simply too similar to the competitions we have covered so far.

Here is an insight into the “sponsor list”:

So, the big company from Montabaur can also access data here and then make calls.
Author's note: I always ask myself why such large companies, which also strive for a positive image, allow themselves to be brought back into the twilight through such actions. But this question will probably remain unanswered for me.

Author: Andre, mimikama.org