The Lisbon Zoo has issued a warning to the public regarding an online scam currently circulating on Facebook, which falsely advertises a competition offering four invites as prizes.
The fraudulent page, named ‘Lisbon Zoo,’ unlawfully uses the institution’s name and image, as stated by the Lisbon Zoo in a communication to newsrooms on Friday. The aim of this scam is to deceive users and fraudulently collect bank data.
“In this scheme, users are asked to comment ‘Happy Birthday’ on the competition post, after which they receive a private message asking whom they would like to visit the Zoo with and their favorite animal, believing they have ‘won’ and can receive the invites upon payment. Subsequently, they are directed to a fake page where their bank details are requested,” the institution reports.
For this reason, the Lisbon Zoo “strongly warns that there is no official competition running on Facebook and that the ‘Lisbon Zoo’ account is fake, urging citizens not to share their personal or banking details or make any financial payments.”
The Zoo further emphasizes that all its official competitions are conducted exclusively through its institutional website (www.zoo.pt) or its official Instagram account @jardimzoologico_oficial.
