- Scams
- Social Media Scams
Fake News Links
Fake News Links
Last updated
You see an ad on social media that looks like a news article, often about a famous person who got rich with a secret method or ended up in a scandal. If you click, you come to a page made to look like a real newspaper, for example Aftonbladet or Expressen. There you're lured into investing or leaving your phone number, and soon a "broker" calls who wants your money.
Warning signs
The headline is dramatic, like "All of Sweden in shock" or "The banks don't want you to know this".
A famous person is said to be making money on an investment or to have revealed a secret on live TV.
The web address doesn't belong to the newspaper the page looks like.
The ad comes from an unknown account, not from the newspaper or the famous person.
Examples of Fake News Links
Scandal articles on Facebook
Here is an example of someone who made up a scandal article about a Swedish celebrity and shared it on Facebook from an account that looks like a real person, to get people to click the link. The link doesn't go to a real news site, but to a website this person built to trick the people who click.
Sponsored articles on Facebook
Here is an example of a sponsored post from someone who wants it to look like a news article from a well-known newspaper. The scammer built their own website and tried to make it look like Aftonbladet, a major Swedish newspaper. They then made a sponsored post on Facebook to reach the public and get people to click the link, believing it's a real Aftonbladet article.
How do you avoid this?
- Don't click on news in ads. Go straight to the newspaper's own site if you want to read more.
- Famous people don't advertise investments like this.
- Report the ad to the platform, for example Facebook or Instagram.
Has this happened to you?
- Have you left your phone number? Don't answer calls from unknown numbers, and never give anyone access to your computer or your BankID.
- Have you paid any money? Contact your bank right away.
- Report it to the police at polisen.se or call 114 14.
- fake news
- ad
- celebrities
- social media
- investment scam
