Fake Facebook Official Giveaway Impersonation Scam
Scammers create Facebook accounts and ads mimicking official Meta or Facebook giveaway announcements, directing users to credential-harvesting pages or requesting advance payments to 'claim their prize'.
Part of: Social Media Giveaway Impersonation Scam
Last reviewed: 8 June 2026
Facebook and Meta do run legitimate promotional campaigns and contests from time to time. The existence of real promotions, combined with Facebook's advertising infrastructure that allows highly targeted reach, makes the platform a fertile environment for fake giveaway scams.
Criminals create pages and run paid ads that mimic Facebook's own visual identity or the identities of well-known brands. The fake giveaway post or ad announces a large prize — a cash payment, a new device, or a gift card — and instructs users to like, share, and comment to enter, or to click through to claim a prize they have 'already won'.
The claim link leads to a page that either harvests Facebook login credentials 'to verify account ownership' or requests a small shipping or processing fee via a payment link. Neither action results in any prize delivery.
How this scam works on the Meta/Facebook brand
Meta runs its official promotions through the verified @facebook or @meta accounts with blue tick badges. Real giveaways and contests from Meta are announced at about.fb.com or through verified brand accounts and are never conditional on logging in to a third-party site.
The scam posts often appear in the Facebook News Feed as ads targeted at users who have previously engaged with consumer brand pages. They use familiar Facebook design elements — the notification bell, the thumbs-up count — to appear native. The post may use a page name like 'Facebook Official Prizes' or 'Meta Giveaway 2026' with a logo closely resembling the genuine Meta or Facebook brand.
After clicking 'Claim your prize', the victim is directed to a form requesting their Facebook email and password to 'verify the winning account'. Some variants instead request a small 'delivery fee' via a payment link, collecting card or bank details.
Common red flags
- An ad or post from a page called 'Facebook Official' or 'Meta Giveaway' announces a large prize — official Meta giveaways come from verified accounts at about.fb.com.
- The claim page asks you to log in with your Facebook credentials to verify eligibility.
- A fee is required to receive the prize — legitimate giveaways do not charge winners.
- The page or account has no blue verified tick and was created recently.
- The prize is disproportionately large and requires no meaningful entry — just a click.
- The URL of the claim page is not facebook.com or meta.com.
How to protect yourself
- Verify any supposed Meta or Facebook giveaway by checking the official @facebook or @meta accounts directly.
- Never log in to your Facebook account via an external link reached from an ad or post.
- Enable two-factor authentication on your Facebook account at facebook.com/security.
- Report suspicious giveaway ads directly within Facebook by clicking the three-dot menu on the ad and selecting 'Report ad'.
- If you submitted your credentials, change your Facebook password immediately at facebook.com/settings > Security and Login.
- If you paid a fee, contact your bank to dispute the transaction and report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (US).
How to report it
- Report the fake page or ad at facebook.com/help/reportlinks.
- Forward any phishing emails purportedly from Meta to [email protected].
- Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (US) or Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk (UK).
- If your account was compromised, go to facebook.com/hacked to begin recovery.
Frequently asked questions
Does Facebook or Meta run real giveaways?
Meta occasionally runs promotional activities, but these are announced through official verified accounts and do not require you to log in to third-party sites or pay a fee to claim. Check about.fb.com or the verified @facebook account for genuine announcements.
How did a scam ad appear in my Facebook feed?
Facebook's advertising system allows any advertiser to place ads in user feeds. Scammers pay for targeted ad placements using stolen or fake ad accounts. Facebook works to remove policy-violating ads, but some get through before detection.
I paid the shipping fee. What should I do?
Contact your bank or card issuer to dispute the charge and request a new card. Report the scam to Facebook at facebook.com/help/reportlinks and to the FTC or Action Fraud.