PSA: Maybank is not giving away iPhone 12 Pro Max for its new year giveaway. It’s a scam

Another day, another scam. This time it appears that scammers are running fake Maybank2U ads that supposedly promise to giveaway iPhone 12 Pro Max with additional cash prizes as part of its new year giveaway. The way the ads are crafted might look convincing for some people but it’s a ploy to obtain your username, password and your TAC number.

As highlighted in the screenshot below, the sponsored ad is running from a supposed MY2U Facebook page which is a fake account. The legit page is “Maybank” which comes with a verified blue tick.

The Facebook ad mentions that they are giving away an iPhone 12 Pro Max for the first 1,000 people and all you need to do is to “log in” to your account and confirm the SMS. What’s disturbing is the ad may show the URL “Maybank2u.com.my” despite being directed to a different page.

If you click on the ad, it will lead to a onlinemay2u.com that has a similar interface as the current Maybank2u website. This is obviously a fake site and it is always advisable to check the URL before you login. These fake pages are designed to trick victims in giving away their personal details including the password and TAC number.

No matter what username and password you put, these pages will always display the same security image and it won’t tell you if your password is wrong. This is a clear indication that you’re on a fake site as the real Maybank2U will always show your selected security image and phrase.

Maybank has recently issued a reminder to all customers to be vigilant with strange and suspicious links that are shared through messaging and social websites. These links usually direct to a page that looks like the real website and these are all phishing attempts to steal your login credentials. Whenever in doubt, always login through the official Maybank app or on the actual portal at maybank2u.com.my.

Similar to the KFC scam ads on Facebook, syndicates are working overtime to create multiple Facebook pages to prey on unsuspecting victims. To make matters worse, Facebook has a lackadaisical attitude when it comes to approving ads by newly created pages. It is no secret that Facebook has been accused of not doing enough to curb the spread of misinformation and this includes approval of scam ads which Facebook makes money from.

If you stumble upon a Facebook ad promoting a scam page, you can do your part by reporting it as soon as possible. To do so, just go to the fake page, tap on the three dot button, then tap on “Find support or report Page”. Then select “Scams and fake Pages”, followed by “Pretending to be another business”. To complete the report, you can enter the URL of the genuine Facebook page.

Know someone who might fall for such scams? Please do spread the word by sharing them this link.

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