Credit card details suddenly gone Beware of this brazen "Swiss" senior citizen scam
A fake Facebook page offers Media Markt laptops for just 5 francs - but those who take advantage of it lose money and credit card details instead of receiving a computer.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A Facebook page "Laptops for senior citizens from Switzerland" lures people in with alleged Media Markt laptops for just 5 francs. However, the devices are never delivered.
- The criminals feign trust with fake comments and direct victims to a fraudulent website. Personal data and credit card details are requested there.
- Media Markt confirmed the fraud attempt to blue News and distanced itself from it. blue News gives tips on how to protect yourself from such fraud attempts.
A new scam has been circulating on Facebook for a few days. It comes from the Facebook page "Laptops for senior citizens from Switzerland" and entices people with an unbelievable offer.
"Media Markt is giving away laptops from the years 2022-2024 that are still in stock and offering them to people aged 40 and over for just 5 francs!" it says.
Media Markt allegedly wants to "get rid of these older models in view of the impending tax increase in order to make space in the warehouse". It is an allusion to the recently imposed (and again paused) tariffs by the US government under Donald Trump.
But the devices are never delivered. Instead, the fraudsters steal credit card details and money from their victims.
The scammers are very clever and use fake comments to suggest that everything is genuine. A certain "Heiko Debus" enthuses: "We are so happy! This was definitely one of our best experiences - super fast delivery and a perfect rating of 1000!" A "Reinhold Kolling" is also jubilant:
«OMG, I can't believe I won a laptop! It's like a dream come true!»
This is how the scam works
If you click on the link, you land on a website with the Media Markt logo. There, users have to answer a few simple questions, such as "Are you from Switzerland?".
At the end, Facebook users are asked to enter their address and credit card details.
As soon as the data is submitted, the fraudsters withdraw money from the account. They also now have access to their victims' complete credit card details.
Media Markt warns of the scam
Media Markt spokeswoman Juliana Herriger-Bon confirmed at the request of blue News that the website does not originate from the company:
«The screenshot sent is clearly a fraud attempt.»
She explains that Media Markt "generally" does not sell products via social media platforms such as Facebook.
If Media Markt places product advertisements, "the link is always directly to our official website", emphasizes Herriger-Bon. In addition, the prices advertised in such cases of fraud "never correspond to our actual offers".
The company has already been confronted with similar scams several times in the past. "Despite intensive efforts, it is very difficult in practice to enforce effective and sustainable measures against such fraudulent activities, as those responsible often operate anonymously and internationally," says the Media Markt spokesperson.
How you can protect yourself
- Media Markt advises its customers that the company does not offer products for sale directly via social media. The spokesperson appeals for "healthy skepticism and caution when dealing with such advertisements".
- Users should pay particular attention to such supposed competitions or bargains.
- Check exactly which web address you are on.
- Check whether the site has an imprint and which data protection regulations apply.
- And above all: if an offer sounds too good to be true, then it usually isn't.
