Big exclusive on Facebook! For all fans of Disneyland Paris, the amusement park will be selling 1,000 tickets at €1.95 on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. All you need to do is answer “three simple questions” to obtain a “Premier access ultimate 1+1” ticket.
But be careful, you have to act quickly, places are limited. Under pressure, the Internet user may not see the scam hidden behind this publication… except that there is a good chance that it is one. 20 minutes wanted to check.
FAKE OFF
On the publication, a link is indicated and you should click on it to answer the three questions and hope to win the famous pass. By following this link, we find exactly the same text as on Facebook: “Today, April 4, 2023, Disneyland is launching an unprecedented action in Europe. Just announced! Disneyland Paris’ 30th anniversary celebration has begun! “.
If the syntax leaves something to be desired, another element surprises. The link is hosted by a site called brigz.info, an industrial specialist in machinery, lubrication and oil analysis. In the HTML link, we can also read “synthetic oil” [huile synthétique]… a host far from the magical world of Disney.
A common phenomenon according to Jean-Jacques Latour, director of cybersecurity expertise at cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, a government site that does prevention on the subject. “Most of the time, you are redirected to a fraudulent site. Either they use a hosting they created themselves, but it costs money and it takes time. Either they will host their page on insufficiently secure and little used sites, ”he analyzes.
Fake witness accounts
On the site, a second element is also surprising. At the bottom of the page, comments from Internet users are displayed using the same format as those visible on Facebook. “Who has already participated? Did you manage to win? “, questions a first, named Joel Lafleur. ” I won ! It’s good that they give two tickets, I’m going to take my child to Disneyland for the first time! The manager said I can use the tickets anytime! », Answers Serge Cormier.
“Guys, I left a request, I’m afraid I won’t get a few Disneyland tickets. Who won ? asks Jean-Luc Beauregard, to which Disneyland support replies: “Dear Jean-Luc Beauregard, you will receive a prize after winning, our reputation is dear to us”. If the language used by Disneyland bears little resemblance to the usual communication, there is something even more dubious: none of the profiles displayed actually exist on Facebook. Neither Joel Lafleur, nor Serge Cormier, nor Jean-Luc Beauregard.
“Almost all the comments that we see on Facebook posts or on fraudulent sites to say ‘the game is great’ or ‘I got my prize’ are fakes posted by scammers to fool victims”, confirms the cybermalware expert, Jean-Jacques Latour.
A link finally deactivated
Now on to the questions that the aspiring visitor must answer. “When do you want to go to Disneyland Paris?” », « how do you get to the amusement parks? », « with whom do you visit the amusement parks? “. Indeed, the questions so far remain quite simple. Then, the screen displays several gifts and asks to click on three of them. First gift, empty. Also second. Then third, the magic pass appears. Victoire. Finally, the site refers to a form to specify its identity: name, address, telephone number and e-mail. Further down, the Internet user must also enter his bank details and pay 1.95 euros.
Contacted by 20 minutes, Disneyland Paris confirms that this sale was in no way set up by the official ticket office. While still visible on Tuesday morning, the site link was finally deactivated in the afternoon.
Compromised banking data
For Jean-Jacques Latour, the expert of the organization Cybermalveillances, this scam is actually very common on social networks. “We see dozens of them popping up every week, especially on Facebook.” Disneyland is not the only company targeted, others are also concerned: SNCF, Air France or even large retailers. Last week, the Zoo de Beauval, for example, warned of fake competitions on non-certified pages. “It comes back regularly in campaigns and in waves”, underlines Jean-Jacques Latour. Accounts would even afford the luxury of sponsoring their fraudulent content to gain visibility. “These kinds of scams are also circulating on WhatsApp. To be able to play, you have to relay the publication to five of your contacts and it is then you who will spread the scam”.
But then what happens if the user enters his bank details on the form? Is it so dangerous? “The bank details must be considered compromised because you do not know how they will be used behind”, answers Jean-Jacques Latour who recommends to immediately oppose. Before explaining: “As a general rule, when you go to enter your credit card number to participate, you authorize access to a promotion service or good deals online. And there you will be debited between 40 and 50 euros every fortnight”. A supposed good deal that therefore hides a big scam!