A fake Jetstar Airways Facebook page offering giveaway tickets to Fiji has fooled nearly 20,000 unsuspecting Aussies.
“Great news, we’re giving away 5 tickets each to 40 people for a 2 week trip to Fiji in a 5 star hotel with $4,500 spending money,” announced the lone post from the fake account.
Despite looking suspiciously phony, the page needed just 24 hours to clock 19,000 Facebook ‘likes’.
The airline had reported 14 hoax accounts in late May and warned of more to come.
“In recent months we’ve seen that no major Australian airline has been immune from these types of scams and it’s fair to say that this behaviour will continue,” the airline said in a statement.
“We have heard reports of some customers liking or sharing fake Jetstar Australia Facebook posts but no reports of accounts being compromised.”
Australian airlines have emerged as a high priority for internet scams in recent years with popular fake accounts sold among scanners on online black markets.
Jetstar opted to educate its 335,000 strong fan base on Tuesday, offering advice on how to spot scams with an educational info graphic.
“Before you like and share something on Facebook check that it’s not a scam,” Jetstar posted with an attached link to the below image.
