It is your own WhatsApp contacts who send you these competitions via WhatsApp. The reason: You fell for a viral marketing method.

WhatsApp users are once again sending and receiving viral advertising links. Behind this are supposed competitions that claim and promise something that is not kept in this form. In addition, pre-formulated messages exploit the relationship of trust between two people: you assume that the sender of this message is telling the truth, because you know him. Accordingly, many WhatsApp users click on this message in good faith.

We've seen a lot of these messages in recent weeks, often using treats as bait. After Milka or Knoppers, viral advertising messages are now luring people with the possibility of receiving a Haribo box. Important: Haribo has absolutely nothing to do with this message or the process! Here you can read:

I just got a free box of Haribo sweets. Get one too before the offer ends. You can thank me later. https://haribo-de.net/

And this is how it works:

You will receive the above message from a contact via WhatsApp! If a “friend” sends this, then it must be true, right? At least that's what many WhatsApp users think at the moment! As soon as you follow the link, the following website opens on your smartphone:

Image may contain: text

After answering a few questions, you still have to send the message to at least 15 contacts. If you don't do that, then there won't be a Haribo box.

No automatic alternative text available.

This has nothing to do with Haribo!

In the end you end up in a so-called affiliate program, which if possible corresponds to the previous fake competition. In this case, a website recreated in Haribo's corporate design. You are now apparently “rewarded”, but that is not the case, because this is purely about collecting user data, the “participant” has to fill out a competition form!

No automatic alternative text available.

So once again it's about trading your data!

What most people don't consider here is that this type of affiliate is about YOUR DATA. In other words, your data is fed into a database and the respective participant can then access a number of ADVERTISING EMAILS, ADVERTISING CALLS and much more. "be happy"!

But not only that!

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

… data collector and lead generator

We have often found EXACTLY THIS method, just with 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.

KEEP AWAY FROM COMPETITIONS like this! Nobody has anything to give away.

Further:

The linked affiliate/commission programs at the end of these decoy competitions can vary.

The data trading competitions still represent a harmless outcome, and expensive subscription services can also be linked at the end of these fake competitions!


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Notes:
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