Urgent warning to millions of Facebook users about ‘hidden’ danger

A WARNING has been issued for a convincing scam circulating on Facebook.

The so-called “Golden Envelope” scam might trick you into revealing private information.

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It’s a widely shared Facebook post that seems legitimate.

The post claims retailer Marks & Spencer is giving out £750 vouchers to 500 people who share and comment on the post.

But fact checker on Complete fact have determined that the post is a total scam.

There is no such competition and the Facebook account is not associated with M&S.

The scam post features an image of a woman holding many M&S ‘golden tickets’.

The app’s caption reads: “Dear Facebook fans. I’m Sarah Louise, Chief Marketing Officer.

“For Christmas this year we decided to reward 500 people who shared and then commented with a gold envelope.

“In each gold envelope is £750 to spend at M&S.”

The page that posted the scam is not the legitimate M&S page and has less than 150 likes.

In contrast, the real M&S page has almost 6 million likes.

Fact checkers also point out that the real food marketing director at Marks & Spencer is someone named Sharry Cramond.

The actual photo is from a 2019 M&S blog about a new food hall in Northern Ireland where the first 200 customers got tickets.

Unfortunately, despite being a scam, many unsuspecting buyers have commented on the post hoping to win the fake price.

One person wrote: “Shared. The best time of the year.

“It would be nice to win a golden ticket for me and my family.”

Another said: “I love M&S and this would make such a great gift for me and my family. Good luck to all.”

Re-sharing the post will boost their profile.

And it’s possible for scammers to reach “winners” and trick them into handing over private information or money in exchange for the coupon that doesn’t exist.

Facebook has meanwhile provided the post with a warning about misinformation.

Always be suspicious of offers, contests and freebies that seem too good to be true.

It’s often a ploy used by scammers to extract information or cash from you – or to promote their own sites.

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