A global scam network is targeting transport users in nearly 60 countries, with France being the most affected.The scheme, uncovered by Spanish media outlet Maldita, uses Facebook pages mimicking official public transport accounts to offer unlimited travel subscriptions for extremely low prices, frequently enough around €2.35 for six months.
These pages, such as “Public Transport in Lyon” or “Public Transport in Saint-Etienne,” typically have few subscribers but post enticing offers, claiming network anniversaries to justify the low costs. They then direct users to a link to collect personal details, including name, phone number, address, and bank details.
the scam’s presentation is convincing, often featuring photos of local transport, like the T4 or Metro B in Lyon, and bus lines in the Loire region. Subscription cards with phrases like “6 free months” further enhance the illusion of an official promotion.
Meta’s moderation of these counterfeit pages has been found to be ineffective. While some links might potentially be removed, the pages themselves frequently enough remain active, with recent posts garnering meaningful engagement. The pages gain visibility primarily through paid advertisements on the social network, with over 9,000 paid advertisements identified, despite Meta removing a portion of these for violating advertising rules.
The investigation identified 1,075 pages replicating this scam across 746 cities and regions in 60 countries. The scam’s structure is also global, with over half of the administrators located in Vietnam and the majority of promoted areas hosted on servers in Russia.
This article discusses a financial scam. It is crucial to be cautious of unsolicited offers and to verify the legitimacy of any promotions before sharing personal or financial information.
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