Facebook Ads Are No Place for Scams: The Surge of Fake Transport Services
In a distressing trend that has taken **47 Spanish cities** by storm, **fraudulent Facebook pages** are impersonating legitimate transportation services to deceive unsuspecting users. Residents of Barcelona, along with many others, are being targeted by advertisements promoting supposedly free transport cards, only for these offers to be a thinly veiled scam.
The Deceptive Promotions Resurfacing
Recently, an advertisement circulated claiming that on the occasion of its **30th anniversary**, the Metro de Barcelona is gifting transport cards for a year. However, this allure is misleading at best. Despite the continual appearance of such ads on Facebook and Instagram, they have no ties to the actual Metro de Barcelona, a transit system with over a century of history.
Malicious Actors Behind the Curtain
The public company overseeing this transport service, Transportes Metropolitanos de Barcelona (TMB), has been vocal in denying any connection with fraudulent posts. They affirm, through Maldita.es, that this is nothing short of a **phishing attack**, with deceitful individuals aiming to acquire your **personal and bank card details**. Sadly, the reality is that clicking these ads could lead you to devastating consequences.
The Scope of the Scam: An Ever-Expanding Network
Barcelona may be the most affected city, but it is not alone. From January to May, scams masquerading as local transport companies were detected in **47 cities and islands across Spain**, preying on vulnerabilities by promoting fraudulent transport cards that promise **free travel for an entire year**.
Widespread Impact
What’s alarming is that these fraudulent schemes were identified in over **half of all provincial capitals**, as well as key cities like **Vigo** and **Benidorm**. While Cantabria and La Rioja were initially untouched, reports confirm that the scam has expanded its reach there as well.
The Mechanics of the ‘Transport Card Scam’
Our investigation of 59 fraudulent pages revealed a disturbing pattern: these accounts not only replicate the names and logos of legitimate municipal transport services but often opt for generic names, causing confusion. For instance, they have published a staggering **116 deceptive posts**, frequently using images of authentic buses and subway cars to lend credibility to their false claims.
Targeting the Unwary
These ads redirect users to external websites designed to harvest **personal and banking information**. Victims have reported instances where they entangled themselves in unauthorized charges—some even discovering charges for €49.99 appearing mysteriously in their bank statements after engaging with these sites.
The Fraud’s Global Network
A page posing as a transport service in **Málaga** has its operations traced back to **India**, and another one for **Sanlúcar de Barrameda** is managed by individuals in **Bangladesh** and **Ukraine**. These insights paint a bleak picture of an **international scam network** operating without remorse.
Facebook and Instagram: Platforms for Fraud
The fraudulent pages amassed over **900,000 views between January and May**, thanks to **Meta ads**. Despite each page having minimal followers—most below 200—the sheer volume of advertisements allowed scammers to reach a wider audience.
Rapid-Fire Promotions
These pages also engaged in **highly targeted ad campaigns**. For example, “Transporte Público en Valencia” generated over **132,000 impressions**, isolating its focus to users within Valencia city limits.
A Coordinated Campaign of Deception
By analyzing 116 posts, we found that they were linked to just **38 different domains**, with the most frequently utilized domain, **clickmall.top**, having been flagged as a phishing site. This insight suggests a **coordinated attack on the public**, designed to exploit our trust in well-established companies.
The Expertise Behind the Scam
Cybersecurity experts indicate that these scams are often orchestrated by well-organized networks that function with a corporate mentality. “They use automated bots and systematic franchises to perpetrate these crimes,” explains cybersecurity expert Jorge Louzao.
Combating Misinformation
It’s crucial for all of us to remain vigilant and skeptical of any tantalizing offers online. The Maldita.es community must band together to report suspicious advertisements and protect ourselves against these unscrupulous actors.
