Last Saturday I was out with Frank again. We were at the hardware store and he was looking for gardening tools.

“But you don’t have a garden in your small rental apartment.” I told him. Sometimes I just don't understand Frank's actions. I don't understand why he sometimes comes up with such bizarre things, because he's actually a very solid person, just a little strange every now and then.

“I don’t have a garden yet!” replied Frank “Not yet, but soon when I win my dream house.” He proudly throws several bags of potting soil onto the shopping cart. “There was a competition on Facebook that they had to do again because their first post was simply deleted.”

I pause, swallow briefly and am once again overwhelmed by what Frank just told me. I ask him to show me this competition and assure him that I definitely won't take part so that his chances of winning don't decrease (sometimes you have to use these little stories with Frank so that he takes part). Of course, Frank shows me his great competition, which now (indirectly) leads him to buy potting soil in stock:

image

Unfortunately our last post was deleted...
Here's the next attempt.

Since the winner of the last draw did not claim his prize within the allotted time of 48 hours, we are trying again.

Share and like this post
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“Really, Frank? Do you really think there’s a house being raffled off here?” This slightly tricky situation between us again. I like Frank, we've known each other for ages. But every now and then he drives me crazy with his behavior (especially on Facebook) and puts our friendship to the test in a certain way.

I don't want to constantly seem like a know-it-all to him, but what should I do? This is about the potting soil, doesn't anyone think about the damn potting soil? “Frank, unpack the potting soil. They’re not giving away a house, they’re building virality artificially and not legitimately.”

image

Frank looks at me slightly angry. It's not that he doesn't like going to the hardware store (that's probably where we would have ended up today), it's probably more that he's worried about the fact that I've taken away his hope. This hope that was combined with a few hours of pleasant feeling for life. Get out of your rented apartment and into your little paradise.

I'm trying to save the situation. “And anyway, flowers and you… that has never worked. Do you still remember your gold ball cactus back then? Even that came to you.” Frank laughed… yes, the cactus. Long story. We pack up the potting soil again and go to the cordless screwdrivers. Frank has wanted to build a counter area out of old pallets for a long time and needs a few things for it...

Honestly?! If you can't even spell dream houses correctly, you shouldn't be taken seriously...

Basically:

Fake competitions like the one shown above are quite easy to spot. You don't have to do long research for this either. A look at the organizer is enough. Reputable competition organizers the following features :

  • Site owner/contact person
  • imprint
  • Contact option
  • Conditions of Participation

There is no information on these points on the “Träumehauser” page.

image

Our checklist for dubious competitions on Facebook:

  • Users are forced to “like” and “share”.
  • there is no (credible) imprint
  • no conditions of participation
  • no contact option
  • no correct company available
  • Page has only existed for a very short time
  • no winners will be announced
  • Prizes are provided by sponsors who “do not wish to be named”
  • The prizes are advertised with copied images from the Internet
  • For well-known companies, look for the blue verification check mark that is often present behind the page name in the cover photo

What else can happen

Note: Why is/was there this competition? Of course there is a financial interest behind these sites. There are various ways in which you can profit from successful fake competitions. Everything is possible, from harmless page sales to nasty subscription traps. So far, we have seen a lot of fake competitions that these types of competitions are always very similar. In the first stage, they seduce with their simple participation. You should share and like a high-quality potential win. Anyone can do it, it's not a hurdle. This attracts people.

Possibility of “side sales” / “like farming”

With the help of these attracting events the site is then “bred”. The site operator is working to increase fan numbers. At a certain point, this site will be for sale. Fans just end up wondering what content they'll see after the sale and why they ever liked that page.

“Affiliate” option

Once the number of participants reaches a certain point, the description of the competition will be changed. The conditions of participation are supplemented and a link is usually included that you should visit. There are some affiliate programs waiting there through which the “organizer” collects commissions. In the harmless case, these are partner programs that provide the participant with a lot of advertising; in the extreme case, there is a WAP billing subscription trap hidden behind the link for visitors via smartphone (from which the organizer also collects commissions, of course). Every now and then you can find these sophisticated Facebook pages for sale on eBay.

No matter what else happens: the advertised profit doesn't exist! Therefore, remember: there is no one giving away this house, this mobile home, this Audi, 100,000 iPhones or 50,000 PS4s. No, they don't exist, these chivalrous benefactors of the Internet. They are more like tricksters who entice their users to eat out of their hands like click animals.


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Notes:
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