Thousands fall for ‘Cebu Pacific’ fake promo

MANILA, Philippines – It was a promise that was too good to be true, but tens of thousands of netizens bought it anyway.

A Facebook page masquerading as an official social media account of budget carrier Cebu Pacific created a fake promo promising to give free flights to 1,000 people. The promo was allegedly part of Cebu Pacific’s apology for inconveniencing its passengers on Christmas Day. 

The promo required people to like the picture and the page, state which destination they wish to go to, and share the picture on their wall. It was first posted at around 1 pm Friday, December 26, and has since gained more than 50,000 likes and more than 33,000 shares.

Cebu Pacific quickly dismissed the fake page and vowed to go after its creators.

“We will coordinate with authorities to identify parties behind this page so we can take necessary legal action,” said the budget carrier in its Facebook post.

As a reminder, Cebu Pacific said it only has 4 social media accounts, and these are the following:

• Facebook: http://fb.com/cebupacificair
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/cebupacificair
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/cebupacificair
• YouTube: http://youtube.com/cebupacificair

Readers beware

Hoaxes and parody accounts are no longer uncommon on Facebook. Many netizens have been lured to various traps meant to spread false news or get the reader to reveal personal information, such as passwords. 

Passengers are cautioned to make sure you are communicating with official representatives of any online store or company. 

Meanwhile, government aviation authorities will convene on Monday, December 29, to determine the possible liability of budget carrier Cebu Pacific Air over the numerous flight cancellations which affected passengers during the Christmas season. – Rappler.com