On Your Side: Beware of Facebook contest scam

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - A popular Facebook scam has hit close to home.

Scammers tried to hijack one of our KY3 Facebook posts about a contest. It happened to us because it can happen to anyone. We want to ensure you know about it so you’re not duped.

We’ve covered this Facebook scam for years with free Super Bowl tickets, cruises, and groceries. This time, the scammers tried to fool you, our viewers.

“It’s not going to deter us. It really taught us to be more alert and aware,” said Mason Seidel, Executive Producer of The Place.

The Place is KY3′s local lifestyle show that airs at 11:30 a.m. on KY3 and 6:30 on the Ozarks CW.

Seidel made a post on The Place Facebook page. It was a contest for Four free tickets to Wild Animal Safari -- like, comment and share. It didn’t take long to gain traction, but Mason noticed something odd.

“We had a couple hundred comments, and every single one of those comments had a reply,” he said.

The reply says this person won and to click the link. That’s not Seidel behind the keyboard.

“It seemed like everyone I deleted, two more were popping up,” he said.

Scammers stole The Place logo and created a bogus account, hoping to trick you.

“My initial thought was no one is going to fall for this. It’s common sense, but being KY3 or any big entity in a community, there is a lot of natural trust that people place in us. So it concerned me,” he said.

Crooks want you to click on the link so they can steal your personal and financial information.

“We’re not going to ask for credit card information, especially when the contest is free,” he said.

Remember, you should never have to pay to win.

This contest is closed. If you win a future contest from The Place, you’ll get a private message on how to get your free prize.

Bogus accounts often have no or just a few followers and only one or two photos.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com

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