A few weeks ago I fell hard for a fake Facebook ad, that looked like it was for Musician’s Friend (online musical instruments store) going out of business sale. It was so convincing that I told my friend John about it and minutes later we had both completed our own purchases.
Their website was setup so it functioned like a legitimate website; a legit music retailer. The search function worked, there were external links to products on sale, etc. Checkout even looked good! I was fooled and I really should know better being in the IT field. Luckily, both John and I paid with PayPal and were able to get full refunds. Although I am a little surprised PayPal didn’t notify me of any progress–I logged in about a week after I initially filed the claim and it was marked resolved and the full amount was refunded.
The moral of the story: “If it’s too good to be true, then it is!” Hopefully this page helps anyone who sees these kinds of ads. If you see fake ads on social media, report them!
More fake ads below!
-Terry, July 2025