Beware of scammers. You will only lose in the “competition” IKEA and Decathlon on FB

The Computer Security Incident Response Team of the Polish Financial Inspectorate (CSIRT KNF) has warned of new cases of fraud spreading on the Internet. As it turns out, cybercriminals are trying to impersonate well-known companies by creating fake social media accounts and offering rewards. This, of course, is fiction.

Beware of Scams - Fake IKEA and Decathlon Contests

The warning posted on Twitter cited examples of a Decathlon fan account impersonating Decathlon Polska (@DecathlonPolska) and an IKEA fan impersonating IKEA (@IKEApl). Both are powered by the Facebook platform.

In advertising a fictitious “competition”, the method of work is almost identical. The scammers claim that they have a large amount of slightly damaged furniture, bicycles or other equipment that cannot be sold. They also attach a photo to increase their credibility. In order to take part in the fraudulent draw, it is necessary to write a short comment by a certain time.

Don’t be fooled - what are fake contests for?

“Beware and warn your friends - in fact, such opportunities do not exist,” the Polish Financial Inspectorate CSIRT concludes the warning.

Indeed, IKEA does not give away shabby or slightly damaged furniture for free, but launches the Circular Hub program. As part of it, he offers goods at discounted prices. Decathlon has a similar exit program called 2ND Life. If you think about it longer, the fake competition doesn’t make sense.

Fraudsters are counting on our inattention or distraction. Why are they doing this? The actual target has not been determined, but it could be a phishing scam. For example - from the list of participants in the “competition” you can select “winners” and in a personal message ask them to provide confidential data such as PESEL. It would be more brazen to ask for your credit card details in order to “pay for shipping” and actually rob us.