New Facebook scam lures victims with free car offer

Have you seen those contests on Facebook where they say you can win a free car, vacation or some large sum of money? All you have to do is "like" and "comment" on a picture and then share it on your wall. You're skeptical about whether or not it's a real contest but since it only takes a few minutes you complete the steps just in case it's legit.

But just as the old saying goes, when something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Not only that, you could be putting yourself at risk by participating in these "contests."

These social media hoaxes are known as like-farming scams. The most recent one we've come across is supposedly giving away a 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser. All you have to do is like the page, like the post, and comment what color you want your Cruiser to be. As you can see below, the post has over 700 comments and over 500 shares.

A tell-tale sign that this isn't a legitimate contest is the lack of the blue checkmark next to the name of the page. If Toyota had posted this, there would be a white checkmark on a blue background to show that the page was a verified account. Once you've "liked" a page on a Facebook, the person who runs the page can see your name, photo, the city you live in, family members, where you work... all types of information from your profile page. Check out this stellar video to see what other details they can uncover.

One solution could be to create a fake profile with limited or false information. But then you're not able to connect with your friends and family, which is the entire point of Facebook. Consider these privacy tips to help secure your account.

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