Giveaway or Scam?: a free game about fake giveaways

What is Giveaway or Scam?

A message says you won. Before you click, inspect the account: the spelling of the handle, when it was created, followers against following, where the link really goes. Call it real or impersonator, then point at the red flag.

Giveaway or Scam? is a free game about impersonation on social media. A message says you won something; your job is to check the account before you click.

The clues are the ones real scam accounts leave: a handle with one letter swapped, a profile created last week, thousands following and few followers, a link to a domain that isn't the brand's, and a request to pay a small fee.

At a glance

Category

Social Media

Difficulty

Easy

Play time

2–4 min

Price

Free, in your browser, sign-up optional

How to play

Inspect

Read the profile card: handle, join date, followers, link, the message itself.

Call it

Real giveaway or impersonator. For an impersonator, tap the detail that gave it away for a bonus.

Three levels

Beginner, Intermediate or Expert, picked before you play: the content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.

Made up

Every account, brand and platform in the game is made up.

Scoring

+100 per right call, +50 more for tapping the red flag of an impersonator.

Win with at least 70% right calls.

What it trains

Spotting impersonators

Handles, account age, links.

Scam habits

Never paying to receive a prize.

Strategy and tips

Read the handle letter by letter

rn can pass for m, 0 for o, an extra underscore for nothing.

Check the age

Real brand accounts are rarely a few days old.

Never pay to win

A real prize never asks for shipping fees or card details.

Why play Giveaway or Scam?

Fake giveaways are one of the most common scams on social media. Two checks (handle and link) stop most of them.

Frequently asked questions