We have been reporting on the Audi competitions on Facebook for years. Maybe it's because this time it's a Mercedes, but again thousands of people take part even though there's nothing to win.

We recently received inquiries about this competition here on Facebook:

Competition on Facebook with a Mercedes as a decoy. / Screenshot by mimikama.org Competition on Facebook with a Mercedes as a decoy / Screenshot by mimikama.org[/caption]

☘️
Due to a very successful year, we are giving away something here

a brand new Mercedes A-Class!
As of July 15th
☘️

Follow the simple steps to be included in the drawing:

▶️ Like and share this post.

▶️ Comment your DESIRED COLOR (black or white)

▶️ Like our page

▶️ Send us a message with “Participation”

Let's go!
The competition is not connected to Facebook and is in no way sponsored, supported or organized by Facebook

sized. All people residing in Germany, Austria or Switzerland who are at least 18 years old are eligible to participate. For data protection reasons, the winner will only be notified personally.

Note : The company mentioned, in this case Mercedes, is not behind the Facebook page mentioned and is not giving away a Mercedes.

The fact check

The structure of the text is very similar to the classic pattern. Like, share, comment, like and send a message.

Why a personal message? Because it contains a link that you should click on. If this link were published directly in the status post, as was often the case in the past, Facebook would – rightly – classify the post as spam and delete it.

Automatic response from the competition organizer including link / scene shot by mimikama.org
Automatic response from the competition organizer including link / scene shot by mimikama.org

 

Interestingly, it was not necessary to follow the previous steps; anyone who immediately sent a personal message to Mercedes AMG Power received a prompt response.

Another indication that this competition is a dubious organizer is provided by the lack of an imprint . A reputable organizer is transparent and shows who he is.

If you follow the link, you will be redirected to an external page with an input mask:

Data entry mask and consent to receive advertising from various sponsors. / Screenshot by mimikama.org
Data entry mask and consent to receive advertising from various sponsors. / Screenshot by mimikama.org

If you read the small print, you will be made aware that the competition was neither organized by Daimler AG nor is it a sponsor and that it has no business relationship with a certain 7sections GmbH.

We already know this GmbH from the Audi competitions .

The terms and conditions read the following:

Yes, I agree that the companies listed on the sponsor list will inform me by post, telephone, email or SMS about offers from their respective business area. I can revoke my consent at any time with effect for the future. More information here.

If you call up the sponsor list, you get an overview of all companies that have the right to send their advertising to the participant.

So it's once again a case of trading personal data!

It is therefore more than questionable whether this Mercedes can really be won, especially since these games have been circulating for years but no one has yet been able to confirm a win. The site operators also make it easy for themselves by pretending to notify the winner via private message - so no one can check whether someone actually won something.

It is also interesting to see what happens to the data that you enter into the input mask, because this is fed into a database and the respective participant can then “look forward” to a number of advertising emails, advertising calls and so on.

A full email inbox is just the tip of the iceberg:

Flood of advertising after data entry. / Screenshot by mimikama.org
Flood of advertising after data entry. / Screenshot by mimikama.org

What else can happen?

In most cases, the user data is also sold. Such a data set can then earn the seller a few euros.

Data collector and lead generator

We have found EXACTLY THIS method several times, just using other vouchers as a lure. In addition to Proleagion, other lead generators also collect data using the same method - much to the annoyance of the companies used as decoys. So far we have mostly noticed Proleagion, adpublisher, red lemon media GmbH, Lead Spot Media, 7sections GmbH and Planet49.

Result:

Stay away from such competitions! There's nothing to win!


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )