Having read “The Moderator” and gained an understanding of the Facebook moderation sausage factory, I can understand why this is the case. Priority is given to handling speed and getting the same answer as “auditors”.
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This is a scam, right?
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londonbridge
Established Member
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The GWR one has popped up on Facebook again, the text mentions “places you will be able to travel to for free by winning the card” including Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Holyhead, Glasgow and Edinburgh…….I never knew GWR served all those cities……
Fiyero
Member
But everyone in the comments got their cards and free tickets? its so easy!
Regretting buying my annual season ticket now, for £3 I could use that to get to work!
Regretting buying my annual season ticket now, for £3 I could use that to get to work!
FormerBritInMe
Member
We have also been getting those on FB in the US, amusingly they were originally with pictures of obviously UK rolling stock with Amtrak logos photoshopped on them 
. More recently they were able to find pictures of actual Amtrak trains.
. More recently they were able to find pictures of actual Amtrak trains.
Fiyero
Member
EC Traveller
Member
Request a review, pleeease.
Brissle Girl
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Have they actually asked GWR? (I think I know the answer by the way…)
renegademaster
Member
Did so for the Bee network , got the same response back, Elon fired all the twitter mods but facebook still manages to be just as useless
I bet if the media picked up on these scams and went to Facebook, they'd all be removed in a heartbeat.
It's the same with Amazon not caring about counterfeit and dangerous products being sold. You can't report things directly, and you can't leave a bad review if you didn't buy it - and even if you did, they have been found to hide or remove such reviews.
But, if the BBC highlights it then suddenly they all disappear.
It's almost as if they are happy to profit from people being scammed (and in the case of uncertified electrical equipment, potentially killed) until called out in public.
It's the same with Amazon not caring about counterfeit and dangerous products being sold. You can't report things directly, and you can't leave a bad review if you didn't buy it - and even if you did, they have been found to hide or remove such reviews.
But, if the BBC highlights it then suddenly they all disappear.
It's almost as if they are happy to profit from people being scammed (and in the case of uncertified electrical equipment, potentially killed) until called out in public.
Martin66
Member
I reported it last year & got this reply (as I do for all scam ads I report to scambook). They are only interested in income from the adverts.
In the luxury travel sector there have been similar scams, offering cards which grant access to "all" airport lounges, and free upgrades to the highest cabin class on "all" airlines for £300/year.
Amusingly, some people targeted by these scams have nothing better to do than "lend" the scammers £300 just on the off chance it works, then later have to spend hours disputing the charges.
Some time after these first appeared, the scammers must have read discussion forums, and accordingly adjusted their pricing to a less implausible level of around £5000/year - if they can escape with one person's money before getting shut down it's much easier than trying to scam thousands of people for £5
Amusingly, some people targeted by these scams have nothing better to do than "lend" the scammers £300 just on the off chance it works, then later have to spend hours disputing the charges.
Some time after these first appeared, the scammers must have read discussion forums, and accordingly adjusted their pricing to a less implausible level of around £5000/year - if they can escape with one person's money before getting shut down it's much easier than trying to scam thousands of people for £5
There is a warning on GWR's fb page . They are hoping Facebook will take swift action.
AlbertBeale
Established Member
Of course. For social media companies, the advertisers are their customers - individuals silly enough to use their platforms are (along with vast amounts of information about the individuals) the product being sold... Yet some people still seem to think that they are "users" of social media, when in fact they're the ones being used.
At least Twitter has the "Community Note" function, though I've no idea if it applies to ads.
No, they’ve moved on to the next phase now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En****tification
“Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves.”
thelongestroad
Member
It makes no difference.
Fiyero
Member
(Response from Facebook from further review of the ‘GWR’ ad)
That’s that then. It’s fine.
Attachments
Falcon1200
Established Member
I've had Smartcard scam pages on Facebook purporting to be from GWR and Avanti. Reported them both to Facebook and received the same response.
Did so to no avail. Presumably publicising a scam with the sole purpose of stealing details and later money from people does not go against Facebook's so-called Advertising Standards.
(When reporting such pages there does not seem to be an option for freeform text to explain why they are a scam?)
Mcr Warrior
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Facebook's moderation team in action/inaction?
(Cartoon pic of the three 'wise' monkeys).
(Cartoon pic of the three 'wise' monkeys).
It does, but it’s very hard to get community notes to stick.
Kite159
Veteran Member
That's an insult to monkeys
Western Sunset
Established Member
I managed to send a discount card to my friend in Africa who is going to send me lots of money when he can access his bank account. Also a couple for the Eastern European ladies who always want to chat with me.
A win-win for me!
A win-win for me!
I found three pages, one showing GWR, one Via Rail (Canada) and one showing Amtrak. Note how the sockpuppet accounts all ask the same questions and answer with the same answers, only with different currencies.
The same names come up in all three locations, but they rotate which account asks which questions, "Lian Valera" asks different questions in the Amtrak and Via Rail pages:
"Willis Hines" posts the same text on the Amtrak page as "Geller Emily" does on the Via Rail one and "Daniel Lane" does on the GWR one. "Willis" posts a different spiel on the GWR page.
[Photos are screenshots of different skins of the same scam Facebook page, with comments from fake accounts either pretending to have received a cheap card or pretending to ask genuine questions]
The same names come up in all three locations, but they rotate which account asks which questions, "Lian Valera" asks different questions in the Amtrak and Via Rail pages:
"Willis Hines" posts the same text on the Amtrak page as "Geller Emily" does on the Via Rail one and "Daniel Lane" does on the GWR one. "Willis" posts a different spiel on the GWR page.
[Photos are screenshots of different skins of the same scam Facebook page, with comments from fake accounts either pretending to have received a cheap card or pretending to ask genuine questions]
Busaholic
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If only Nick Clegg could find himself threatened in the same way as his erstwhile LibDem Deputy Leader i.e. with prison time it might just do the trick!
londonbridge
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Would GWR, TFL, etc, have any legal grounds to sue Facebook to get these stopped and taken down?
Mcr Warrior
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Perhaps it needs a 4 part ITV drama commissioning?
Possibly. Martin Lewis settled out of court with Facebook after his face was repeatedly used to advertise scams