Another day, another scam ad targeting Malaysians that are approved by Facebook. This time, there are scam ads claiming to offer Aer Backpacks for RM9.00. It is a similar tactic used by the previous scam ads promoting RM8.50 Mi Electric Scooter and RM9 Philips Coffee Machines.
The ads are running from a new “Aer Backpack MY” Facebook page which was created on 3rd February 2023 and Facebook has allowed it to run ads on the first day itself. Like most scam Facebook pages, it is filled with photos ripped from the official Aer websites to make it look legit. At the moment, it is running two ads – one to acquire new likes and another to promote the RM9 scam offer.
A similar ad from a page pretending to be LazMall was also allowed by Facebook. The ad also promos the Aer backpack but for RM9.90.
To make the RM9 backpack offer look convincing, the scam pages have created fake conversions in the comments with high engagement to give the impression that the bags are real and have been delivered in good order. As a cherry on top, the comments are filled with positive reviews to fool unsuspecting victims.
The ads lead to a fake website which misuses the Aer branding and it asks users to fill out a survey form. Like most scams, the page claims there are only 500 units available at a special price to create urgency for people to submit their details. As always, do not provide your personal information and do not click on links from offers that are too good to be true. Instead, report the ads as a scam, and hopefully, a human at Meta will look into your report.
Online scams facilitated by social media platforms such as Facebook are becoming a serious issue. Most of these scam ads can be prevented if Meta conducts basic checks on new advertisers and have ads monitored by a moderation team based in Malaysia. Meta continuously claims that it has algorithms to block scammers from its platform but obviously it has failed to prevent and block scam ads in a timely matter.
Unfortunately, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has limited powers to act on platforms hosted outside of Malaysia. Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said that his ministry and the MCMC will be studying and assessing the best mechanism to tackle scam ads on social media.
If you become a scam victim, you are urged to call the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) by calling 997 as soon as possible. The NSRC is a dedicated command centre to coordinate rapid response for online financial scams and it will allow Bank Negara Malaysia to stop the outflow of funds if reported early. Last year, the NSRC has helped scam victims recover about RM1.4 million.
Related reading
- Scam Alert: Facebook allows scam ads promoting RM9 Philips Coffee Machines
- PSA: Beware of fake Mi Store on Facebook selling scooters for RM8.50
- Facebook allows scam ads claiming to offer Teh Hong Piow’s book for free
- MCMC: Power to act on social media scams limited as current policies are ineffective
