online scams

FALSE: Shopee Philippines gives away 100,000 iPhones

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

FALSE: Shopee Philippines gives away 100,000 iPhones
Shopee Philippines warns the public about the fake website and warns that personal information shared with suspicious websites ‘may be used fraudulently’
At a glance
  • Claim: E-commerce company Shopee Philippines is giving away 100,000 pieces of iPhone 12 Pro Max.
  • Rating: FALSE
  • The facts: The link doing the rounds on Facebook is fake. In an email to Rappler, Shopee Philippines said the website where the claim came from was not affiliated with the company.
  • Why we fact-checked this: The link has been circulating on Facebook and messaging apps. As of writing, the website link has over 527,000 total interactions across different social media platforms.
Complete details

A fake link posing as Southeast Asian e-commerce giant Shopee falsely claims that the company is giving away 100,000 pieces of iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Once clicked, the link redirects to a website that looks like Shopee. Users are offered prizes if they click on the picture. The website then asks users to enter their Facebook login details in order to claim the prize.

The link has been circulating on messaging apps and Facebook, particularly in the Philippines. Data from social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle show that the link has accumulated over 527,00 total interactions across Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit, as of writing.

This is false.

The circulating promo did not come from the official channels of Shopee. There is also no ongoing online giveaway of iPhone units from the e-commerce company.

In an email to Rappler, Shopee Philippines said the circulating link was only posing as Shopee. “Please do ignore this type of message as we are not affiliated with the website/account/SMS…. Please do not share your personal information with probable fraudsters,” the company said.

Shopee Philippines added that the company was not asking for any monetary value, and urged the public to refrain from sharing any personal information with suspicious websites “as it may be used fraudulently.”

Though the company runs several other promotions for its users, there is no announcement from the verified channels of Shopee, nor any official report from legitimate news organizations, about the online giveaway of 100,000 units of iPhones.

In a separate message on Facebook, Shopee Philippines also told the Rappler team that they only “send notifications to winners in-app or thru our official social media accounts.”

For information about Shopee’s official promotions, refer to its official website and its verified Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts. – Owenh Toldeo/Rappler.com

Owenh Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.

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