Closing down scams on Facebook targeting thousands of customers

Thousands of consumers are being targeted by newly established websites offering closing-down sales as shoppers look for good deals from businesses hit by the coronavirus fallout.

Almost identical adverts on Facebook from two different websites have been found claiming they are being forced to shut down and offering discounts of up to 70 per cent.

The social media giant has since taken the companies off its site.

“Fraudulent activity is not tolerated on our platforms and we have removed both pages for violation of our fraud and deception policies,” a Facebook spokesman said.

In a paid-for advert on Facebook that had been running since 1 March, Coat London said: “We are very sad to announce that we are SHUTTING DOWN our website.”

In a separate advert, Age Of Rock, a rock-themed clothing site, said: “Even after lots of struggle and lots of effort, we are very sad to announce that we are CLOSING DOWN our store.”

The ads have racked up thousands of interactions from social media users, many complaining about the items they have been sent in the post.

One user posted on the Coat

London ad: “Got a coat delivered on Thursday, it’s a pile of c**p, looks like it work [sic] about £3 ... got a feeling I will never get a refund.”

Another customer, who asked to remain anonymous, said his bank had blocked what it thought was a suspicious transaction. He later received three emails from Coat London asking him to complete his transaction. One offered a further 10 per cent discount, he added.

A Whois Lookup, which reveals details of a website’s ownership and history, shows both sites were only set up 58 days ago.