This morning I opened my Facebook homepage, like I do every morning, hoping to find out which of my friends have gotten engaged, announced their pregnancy, or even publicly declared their love/hatred for X, Y, or Z sports team. Instead I received an onslaught of links posted on friends' statuses informing me that the shoe company, TOMS giving away their product for "free."
Facebook scams are as unfortunately common as Crocks shoes are these days. I always thought that 99% of people knew such giveaways were frauds- the social media version of the Nigerian Princess scam. I was therefore shocked at how many people seemed to believe (wish?) that this TOMS giveaway was in any way shape or form legitimate. Sadly, those hopeful friends will likely receive plenty of spam but little footwear in the near future. I hope that by sharing a few of the red flags that went off in my mind, I can help people be a little more cautious of these Facebook "giveaways" in the future. (Although I'm citing the TOMS giveaway, I think most of these redflags can be applied to most other scams.)
Red flag #1. Offering massive quantities of free products: Businesses are set up to make a profit, (or at the very least, not to LOSE money) and you can't make a profit off of free. Giving out thousands, or possibly even millions, of free shoes makes zero business sense. Not to mention the halt in orders from that time forward. (Why would anyone ever order a pair when they can just wait until the next mass giveaway?) When I asked myself, "is TOMS so desperate for me, Rachel McHardy, an ordinary consumer with nothing to offer the company in return (except, of course, well adorned feet!), to wear their shoes that they will give them to me even if it means ABSOLUTE FINANCIAL RUIN for them?" there was a resounding "No!"
Scammers know that the economy, gas prices, unemployment, etc. has consumer purse strings a little tight, but consumer want is still just as high as ever. Hence, the use of the word FREE- instantly appealing to the consumers desire to have products AND to be financially responsible. It is very effective- mean- but effective.
Red flag #2. The url: Underneath the giveaway title, I could see the url that I would be taken to if I clicked on the link. It was not the TOMS website nor was their any link on the official TOMS website to the stated Facebook link. Why would the company spend the time and money to build an entirely new website without so much as linking it to their homepage? They wouldn't.
Red flag #3. No mention of it on the company's Facebook fan page, website, etc: My first thought was to check the Facebook fan page. Sure, there were lots of questions from fans regarding the giveaway, but no post from the company itself. Where would a company advertise a giveaway? Where their fans can be reached! Namely, the company website, facebook or other social media site, and blog.
Having said all that, there ARE legitimate giveaways! As a matter of fact, I will be doing some myself in the near future. It's a great way to show customer appreciation, and, well, they're fun! However, I cannot think of a single legitimate giveaway where all three red flags I mentioned are present. Usually, it's more of a contest in that everyone who enters/likes/whatever will not necessarily win (like Pictureline's 5D Mark III giveaway). Or, if everyone does receive something, it's likely to be rather small in terms of monetary value (NOT a pair of shoes or an ipad).
Hopefully this isn't coming across as preachy. I just thought that if I can save someone from setting his/herself up for disappointment, I might as well try. Maybe one day Facebook will be void of scammers, but in the meantime, I'll pass on the TOMS! I think this cutie's face sums up my feelings on the issue:
