Dear caravan friends! Really now?

“We have 5x motorhomes that are not being sold because they have several small scratches/dents, so we will be giving these away!”

Really now? How often have you experienced this? So that someone is giving away 5 mobile homes because they have small scratches or dents?

We already reported on this Facebook page called “The Caravan Friends” on August 4, 2020. ( You can read it here ). The page and the competition are still active, and if you look at the comments, around 219,000 users are taking part in this competition. (As of: August 12, 2020 / 8:20 a.m.)

Really now?

Does no one really question who is actually behind the site and where the motorhomes come from?

Really now?

Doesn't anyone out of the 219,000 think to find out more about this page on Facebook? One click on the so-called “page transparency” is enough and you can see that the page was previously called “The Dental Insurers” and only renamed itself “The Caravan Friends” in May 2020! Doesn't something like that make you suspicious?

Really now?

Of the 219,000 users, doesn't anyone take a closer look at the page's "info" to find out who is actually behind the competition? One click would have been enough and you could have seen that there is absolutely no data here, such as a company name, a telephone number, a contact email address, etc. In other words, the data that actually belongs in an imprint. No reputable company, no reputable competition organizer leaves this area empty.

Really now?

A few pictures are enough for participants to take part in such a competition? Of course it's something special when you see great motorhomes here. And there is even a photo where you can already recognize a winner.

Well, there must be something to it, many people think. But with just a few clicks you can see that this photo was stolen from the Internet. The original picture can be found on the “intercaravaning.de” website. It was a charity campaign for “A Heart for Children”, where this mobile home was won. In other words: The operators of the Facebook page simply stole the image and are now using it for their own purposes.

Really now?

Does none of the participants question how it is possible that you get an immediate response as soon as you post your “first name”?
Really now? Are you so gullible as to follow every instruction on this site?

According to the “Caravan Friends”, in order to complete participation, you have to enter your contact details in a competition form that is located outside of Facebook!

Really now?

Does no one here question who you give your most personal data to? Do you treat your data so carelessly? Click on the link and this competition form will open:

Really now?

Does none of the participants here read the “small print” such as “Yes, I agree that the companies listed in the sponsor list can contact me by phone, post or email about offers from their…” or does no one read the “Terms and Conditions of Participation” here ? In these you would see that this “competition” actually lasts until 2021 and not, as announced on Facebook, until August 13, 2020.

And doesn't anyone question what this "Yes, I agree that the companies listed in the sponsor list can contact me by phone, post or email about offers from their..." actually means?

Very easy!

What many users are not aware of is that they pass on their data to data collectors, and for them addresses and telephone numbers are cash money:
the data is sold in packages, often on the darknet, which means that the buyers have a nice collection of gullible users who then can be annoyed with spam via email, post and telephone.
Even if you do not enter your data on an external site, but “only” comment on Facebook, which is also the case with the competition mentioned, the operators have the profiles of gullible Facebook users who are subsequently the target of fraud, for example via PM can be.

Really now?

Over 219,000 users are taking this risk?

An experience report

A Facebook user tells us what can happen if you leave your data in such pseudo-competitions:

Yes, I was a bit gullible and took part in a competition on Facebook. From the e-bike experts website. This evening I had a call (Munich) that I was among the many winners and had won €750. I should confirm all my details again.

And since it would be such a high profit, it would actually have to be reported to the tax office. The company would cover this amount that I would have to pay to the tax office and I would only have to take out a magazine subscription for one year .

Then she wanted to know my IBAN number. I was floored, I found it all strange. I didn't want to give them out. And this lady was really good at talking . Then I said definitely that I didn't want any of that.

Less than 2 minutes later I received a call from someone who really wanted to force this win on me. I wanted him to give it to me in writing. He said no, but I still wanted to know the address of the company headquarters. Then he got really bitchy. I was stupid to miss out on a win like that, he remarked. He became more and more unfriendly as the conversation progressed, I stayed completely calm. Then he hung up on his own.

Based on the experience report, you can clearly see what happened:
The user's data was sold to dubious call centers , which are now trying to sell subscriptions with flimsy reasons, nonsensical excuses and malicious pressure.

Really now?

We have been keeping a list of fake competitions on Facebook that we have cleared up for a year. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. in this list ( you can access it here ) and the number is increasing every week. It's always worth taking a look at this list, because our readers and users report these fake competitions to us almost every day.

These tips will help you expose a fake site:

• Either a well-known brand or company is represented or an imaginary name is used. In this case “The Caravan Friends”
• Users are encouraged or almost forced to “like” and “share”.
• There is no (credible) imprint on Facebook
• There are no conditions of participation on Facebook for the competition
• no contact option
• no correct company (imprint) available
• The site has only existed for a short time
• Page has a different name under the “Page Transparency” in front of it. As was the case here.
• no winners will be announced
• Prizes are provided by sponsors who are not obvious at first glance
• The prizes are advertised with copied images from the Internet. This was also the case here
• For well-known companies, look for the blue verification check mark that is often present behind the page name in the cover photo

If several or even all of the points on this list apply, you should stay away from them!

And please keep the following sentences in mind!

1. REALLY NOW? Please always question such competitions - and
2. THINK FIRST, THEN CLICK 🙂