INDIANAPOLIS – Consumer and cybersecurity watchdogs want you to be on the lookout for a scam on Facebook where groups are offering free or extremely low cost cell phones.

This type of bogus offer has blown up recently.  When I did a Google search for “free phones on Facebook,” I got more than half a million results.  And there are seemingly endless groups on Facebook offering free or $10 phones.  Many of the offers include iPhones and Samsung models that would normally cost hundreds of dollars.

While most Facebook scrollers will likely keep scrolling past these “offers,” not everyone is able to resist the realistic look of the ads, which often use the Amazon logo to make them appear legitimate.  Technology writer Kim Komando points out that if you click the link to the ad, it will take you to a spoofed Amazon website, complete with fake reviews and customer comments.  The page will often include a clock ticking down to when the “deal” expires.

If you follow through with it, you’ll just end up paying money for a phone that doesn’t exist.  You’ll also likely be giving a scammer way too much information about you.

An iPhone 14 or a Samsung S23 for $10?  Come on.  

This is a classic “too good to be true” deal that consumer advocates constantly warn about. 

Don’t fall for it.  

And while you’re thinking about online security, now might be a good time to consider signing up for identity theft protection.  Several companies offer services to monitor your personal information for leaks and breaches, which normally costs between $10 and $25 a month.