Have you seen Facebook ads recently promising an all-expenses-paid trip to the idyllic Bora Bora islands? As tempting as a free tropical vacation sounds, unfortunately these too-good-to-be-true giveaways are an elaborate scam designed to steal your personal information and money.
This article will expose how the Bora Bora vacation giveaway scam works, provide tips on how to recognize and avoid it, and explain what to do if you have fallen victim. With scam awareness and vigilance, you can help prevent theft of your hard-earned money and sensitive data.
This Article Contains:
An Overview of the Bora Bora Vacation Scam
The Bora Bora vacation scam typically begins with advertisements on Facebook promoting an extravagant trip giveaway to Le Méridien Bora Bora. The ads promise an all-inclusive 14 night stay for 5 people, covering flights, accommodations, transfers, and more.
To enter the contest, you simply need to like, share, and comment “WIN” on the post. The scam creators often use urgency and limited time offers to encourage quick entries, such as: “Hurry- contest closes at 9pm tonight!”
If you engage with the post, you will then be contacted by the scammers directing you to a third-party website to register for the contest. The site features tantalizing images of overwater bungalows and turquoise waters, playing into dreams of a tropical escape.
However, this external site is specifically created to harvest personal information and credit card details from victims. The data will later be used for identity theft or sold on the dark web.
The scam registration process seems legitimate at first, asking for basic details like your name, email address, and phone number. But soon you are prompted to pay a “processing fee” or “shipping and handling” charge around $10-$15.
To complete payment, you must enter full credit card information. However, instead of just charging the small fee, the scammers will use your card details to sign you up for costly monthly subscriptions, services, or trials that are nearly impossible to cancel.
Victims typically realize too late that the vacation giveaway was fake. Meanwhile, the scammers walk away with troves of personal data, credit card numbers, and monthly subscription fees draining your accounts.
This Bora Bora scam preys on people’s desires to visit a tropical paradise and belief they may have lucked out with a free luxury trip. But in reality, it is an elaborate ploy to access your sensitive information and money.
How the Bora Bora Facebook Giveaway Scam Works
The operators behind the Bora Bora vacation giveaway scam have the process down to a science. Here is a step-by-step explanation of how this scam unfolds:
Step 1: Enticing Facebook Ads
The scam begins with eye-catching ads on Facebook and Instagram promoting a contest to win a free, luxurious vacation. The ads include enticing photos of overwater bungalows and turquoise lagoons.
Headlines allure with statements like “Win a 14-night Bora Bora vacation worth $10,000!”, “Enter now to win a tropical island getaway!”, or “Win a dream trip to paradise!”
To enter, you simply need to like, share, and comment on the post with a keyword like “Pick me!” or “Enter me!”. Urgency is added with claims like “Contest ends at midnight!” to encourage quick responses.
When you engage with the post, the scammers can now connect your name and profile to target you.
Step 2: Fake Contest Website
After liking, sharing, or commenting on the post, you will then receive a message with a link directing you to the “contest website” to complete registration.
The site appears professional with Bora Bora imagery and logos implying affiliation with hotels or airlines. Information reiterates the vacation giveaway details.
Buried in fine print may be disclaimers revealing it is not associated with any brand. But other times fraudsters outright steal hotel or airline logos without permission.
Step 3: Phishing for Your Personal Information
On the website, you are prompted to enter personal details like your full name, email address, phone number, home address, birthday, occupation, and more.
This information is used to build profiles for identity theft or sold on the dark web. Emails and phone numbers are added to lists for further scams.
Step 4: Pay a “Fee” to Complete Registration
After entering significant personal data, you will be told there is just “one more step” to finish registering for the contest.
You must pay a small “processing fee” or “shipping and handling” charge around $10-$15 to cover the cost of prize delivery. Some versions claim the fee is for background checks required by law for sweepstakes winners.
But to pay, you need to enter full credit card information. This exposes the true motive behind the scam.
Step 5: Fraudulent Credit Card Charges
While the website makes it appear you are only paying a small processing fee, the scammers have no intention of charging just $10.
With your credit card details, they will register you for unwanted monthly subscriptions, services, or trials with recurring billing. These can range from shady antivirus software to adult content sites.
The monthly charges are typically $30-$50, so victims may not notice the incremental unauthorized activity.
Other times, the fraudsters make huge upfront purchases with your card info. Victims only discover the credit card fraud after it’s too late.
Step 6: No Vacation, Just Fraud
Eventually you realize there is no Bora Bora vacation prize. You have been scammed.
Meanwhile, your personal information has been compromised along with your credit card details. The scammers may continue charging your card monthly for unwanted services or may have already maxed it out on fraudulent purchases.
Information like your home address can also be used for further identity theft and financial fraud.
This is how a seemingly innocent vacation giveaway ad on Facebook turns into serious identity theft and credit card fraud with long-lasting consequences.
What to Do If You Have Fallen Victim to the Bora Bora Vacation Scam
If you engaged with one of the Bora Bora vacation giveaway scams and entered personal or credit card information, here are important steps to take right away:
Monitor Your Credit and Accounts
Carefully monitor your credit card statements and bank account activity for any unauthorized or suspicious transactions. Many victims do not notice monthly subscription charges of $30-$50, which can rack up over time.
Check your credit report frequently for any accounts or inquiries you don’t recognize, which may indicate identity theft.
Call Your Credit Card Company
If you find any fraudulent charges, call your credit card company immediately. Report the charges as unauthorized so they can start an investigation, issue a new card, and prevent further misuse.
While you may be responsible for charges you authorized, you can dispute those you didn’t. The credit card company can help determine which are legitimate or fraudulent.
Reset All Account Passwords
Change the passwords for all of your online accounts, especially financial or email accounts. Do not use the same passwords you entered on the scam website.
Enabling two-factor authentication provides an extra layer of security on accounts to prevent the scammers from gaining access.
Place Fraud Alerts
To protect yourself from potential identity theft, you can place fraud alerts with the major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax). This flags your credit file and requires credit checks before new accounts can open.
File Police Reports
For significant credit card fraud or identity theft, file police reports with your local law enforcement. Provide all documentation and evidence about how the scam occurred and its impacts.
Even if the perpetrators cannot be found, having a documented case can help restore your credit and financial accounts.
Close Any Unauthorized Accounts
If the scammers have used your information to open fraudulent accounts, contact those companies to explain the situation and close the accounts immediately. Removing unauthorized accounts protects against long-term damage.
Seek Legal Counsel
For severe cases of fraud involving major financial losses, victims may want to consult a lawyer. An attorney can help you take legal action to recoup losses and hold the scammers accountable.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Bora Bora Vacation Scam
1. How do I recognize the Bora Bora vacation Facebook scam?
You may come across seemingly tempting Facebook ads offering a free all-inclusive trip to Bora Bora. Be wary of contests asking you to like, share, or comment to enter to win an extravagant vacation package covering flights, hotels, transfers and more. These ads are designed to lure victims into a fake giveaway.
Red flags include limited time offers, urgent calls to enter, and requests to visit third-party websites to register. Real contests would direct you to reputable brand sites, not unverified pages. Always investigate the source before engaging.
2. What happens if I enter the Bora Bora vacation scam giveaway?
If you like, share, or comment on the Bora Bora giveaway ads, you will then be contacted to visit an external contest website. Here, you are prompted to input personal details and credit card information under the guise of contest registration and processing fees.
In reality, scammers phish for data to steal identities and make fraudulent purchases. They will charge monthly subscriptions you didn’t agree to.
3. How do scammers profit from the Bora Bora vacation scam?
Scammers use this scam in two main ways. First, they collect sensitive personal information like names, emails, addresses and phone numbers to steal identities or sell online.
Second, they obtain credit card details under the pretense of processing fees then use this data to make fraudulent purchases or sign victims up for costly monthly subscriptions. Ongoing subscription fees in particular create huge illicit profits.
4. What are signs my identity has been stolen via the Bora Bora scam?
If scammers acquire your personal information, be on high alert for identity theft indications:
- Unauthorized credit cards or accounts opened in your name
- Suspicious transactions you didn’t make
- Inquiries on your credit report from lenders you don’t know
- Bills for products/services you didn’t sign up for
- Health or tax records showing information you didn’t provide
5. What should I do if the Bora Bora vacation scam stole my credit card information?
If you entered credit card data into a Bora Bora vacation scam site, take these steps immediately:
- Contact your credit card company to report fraudulent charges
- Work with your provider to dispute charges and cancel your current card
- Monitor statements closely for monthly scam subscriptions
- Change passwords on all online accounts as a precaution
- Review credit report and set fraud alerts with credit bureaus
6. How can I get fraudulent charges removed from my credit card?
If you act quickly after fraudulent activity, your credit card provider can investigate disputed charges and have them removed if confirmed as unauthorized. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your maximum liability for scam credit card charges is $50.
Provide confirmation showing you did not authorize recurring subscriptions or purchases tied to your account. Reputable providers are willing to work with scam victims to dispute illegitimate charges.
7. Is it possible to get back money lost from the Bora Bora Facebook scam?
Unfortunately, it is very rare for victims to recoup money lost to these Facebook scams. Since transactions appear authorized, credit card companies often cannot reverse charges. Scammers also use untraceable payment systems to cash out fast before recovery is possible.
Your best options are preventing the losses in the first place by avoiding scams, or acting immediately after fraud occurs to limit damages. But know that stolen funds are difficult to recover once scammers have them.
8. How can I avoid Facebook vacation scams in the future?
These tips will help you steer clear of future vacation giveaway scams:
- Verify legitimacy of sponsors before entering contests or providing personal data
- Research claims too good to be true (i.e. free luxury trips)
- Read fine print and contest rules before participating
- Never pay upfront fees for prizes or processing costs
- Avoid contests requiring credit card information as an “entry” step
- Use prepaid card numbers for any contest payments
- Set Facebook privacy settings to limit public info visibility
Staying vigilant and protecting your data are the best ways to avoid vacation scams preying on social media users.
The Bottom Line on the Bora Bora Facebook Giveaway Scam
While free luxury vacation giveaways may seem enticing, use extreme caution when encountering contests requiring you to enter personal or credit card information. Verify the source is a legitimate brand before providing details.
This Bora Bora vacation scam serves as a prime example of how fraudsters use tantalizing prize offers to elicit sensitive data which they leverage for identity theft and fraudulent credit charges. Stay vigilant about scams on social media, no matter how realistic they appear.
If you engaged with one of these vacation giveaway scams, take action immediately to minimize any resulting fraud or identity theft. Monitor accounts closely, place fraud alerts, change passwords, and report unauthorized activity. With quick response, you can protect yourself and thwart these scammers
