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One of the scams that has been flourishing recently involves the creation of Facebook fan pages that impersonate businesses, organizations, and individuals offering lodging, restaurant, and travel services at well-known tourist destinations in the province.
After working with lodging businesses and travel service providers, police have recorded multiple cases in which travelers were scammed after transferring deposits for services such as hotel rooms, overnight stays, and dining.
The scammers set up fan pages with names close to, or even identical to, the official pages of famous hotels, often including blue verification ticks on Facebook.
They also copy images, logos, addresses, phone numbers, and other content from the real pages, making it difficult for users to distinguish genuine accounts from fake ones.
Many of these pages are professionally developed, with tens of thousands of followers. Police say the pages use fake engagement tools and numerous fake accounts to post positive comments and five-star reviews, creating the impression that many customers have used the service.
Some fan pages also run paid advertisements to appear frequently in users’ feeds, particularly targeting people with travel needs.
When customers contact the pages, suspects offer prices that are more attractive than the market, often supported by limited-time promotions that encourage deposits.
After customers show interest, suspects require them to transfer deposits or prepay, citing reasons such as “to hold the room.” Some cases include sending fake booking confirmation images to increase credibility.
After victims deposit, suspects may demand additional transfers, claiming “wrong content” and instructing customers to redo the transfer so the “accounting department” can verify and refund the excess amount. After multiple transfers, police say the suspects block communication and steal the funds.
Victims typically realize the scam only when they arrive at the lodging and find that no booking information has been recorded.
Police say tracing the suspects is difficult because they use fake accounts, non-owner SIM cards, and intermediary payment channels.
According to police, users can detect fake fan pages by watching for signs such as:
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