LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 08: Nick Skelton of Great Britain riding Big Star competes in the Individual Jumping Equestrian on Day 12 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Greenwich Park on August 8, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Facebook scammers have been targeting the equestrian community again — setting up a Facebook page and trying to con competition entrants into handing over credit or debit card details.
Stallion AI Services set up a page called Big Star Olympic Champion, and launched a competition to win a straw of frozen semen, as well as a framed Big Star shoe, and a chance to meet the stallion himself.
But a scam page was set up, closely resembling the genuine article, and the scammers behind it contacted hundreds of people who had entered the competition.
“They contacted these people saying they were the winner, and to fill in a form,” Stallion Ai Services’ Tullis Matson told H&H.
“It told them to fill in their credit card details and they’d do the rest. They say ‘click here to get your prize’, and that’s when they get you.”
Tullis said this was the second time one of his company’s pages has been duplicated. H&H has reported on similar attacks on show centre pages, all attempts to secure people’s financial details.
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“They don’t hack you but they set up a fictitious page that looks just like yours,” he said. “This one had ‘Bigstar’ all one word, and ‘Olympicchampion’ all one word, but everything else was exactly the same.
“They’re very clever; it’s so frustrating.”
Tullis said Trading Standards was helpful, because it was fraudulent activity, and the fake page has now been removed.
If you think you may have been caught out by this, or a similar scam online, report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
