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How to Spot a "Bogus" promo



A new scam reveals that it is providing iPhone 6s for individuals who will answer a simple survey.

Look at this tasty treat, isn't it tempting? Perhaps you fall for this enticing trick once in your life as I did myself before. The promise of an easy win trick always get our attention because it's easy to win, and what hurt could a simple click would do to you. These trickery comes in different forms, different prizes, and different approach.  Most of these spamlinks would make you spam porn links, or worst they could infect your personal mail.

Their intentions? Maybe just to get money from Pay per click programs, or worst they could be infecting computers with viruses. Who knows?

Despite of best efforts of Google  to kill these kinds of trickery, these types of scams still do exists since they are spammed by Nuking software across the web. To avoid being deceived by these enticing promos, in this article, we'll teach you on how to detect bogus promo.




Always check the URL first

•         A legitimate business would use a domain name ending in ".com" or ".com.ph"  rather than a ".org"
•         Check if the Domain name  is suspicious looking.
Check the image from below, the domain name  provided in this bogus promo is "apple-com-848644.c.cdn77.org"
•         "Apple Inc."  is using "apple.com" not "apple-com"



Check Official Website and Social Media Fan Page

If you ever come across a promo like this on the web, make sure to double check if the promo is legitimate by searching the similar content on the company's website and official fan page.

The promo is legitimate if:
•         The company published a promo announcement (similar with the e-mail you received)  on their official social media account
•         The company published a  post that will link back to the e-mail / promo you receive.
•         The promo is declared on the official website's newsfeed.
•         There is a post containing announcement of winners of the said promo on their official page.

Double Check on Google.com
 
•         Always  Research the promo first before clicking any link.
 You can search Google on  "key phrases" related for the promo. Example:  "Apple iPhone 6s promo comclark"
•         Use Google.com to search the  current "surveys" "Promos" you've seen, or received on your email. If nothing comes up in search result, the promo is not legitimate.
•         Before clicking any links inside the "bogus promo," check the URL of the suspicious promo "apple-com-848644.c.cdn77.org" on Google search.



  
Check the Content

The promo is considered "bogus" if :

•         There are no contact details of the company on the footer.
•         The promo is stating that you are "Randomly Chosen Winner"
•         The promo is requiring you to complete an "online survey"
•         There are suspicious links inside the content  that you need to click in order for you to claim your prize, or to qualify for the promo.
•         No Promo Period stated.
•         No mechanics
•         The website's elements within the bogus promo  looks a little off compared with the original website.

SAMPLE:


















Real Apple Header Bar:



Fake E-mail's  Apple Header:







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