XBOX 720 Tester Scam on Facebook… Again

We’ve been through this already with PS4 tester scam, let’s all learn from the mistakes of others and spread the word about these increasingly rampant Facebook Next Gen tester scams. They are almost guaranteed to be fake; capitalizing on the frenzy of fan interest in the run up to the next gen release to make a buck off of unsuspecting would be playtesters.

Don’t be duped. Read on to learn more about the latest scam, and how to identify them.

Xbox Infinity Test Scam

This week’s scam post is courtesy of “Xbox Infinity”:

How to identify a scam

1) Check the spelling in the post.

Is everything spelled right? The original PS4 tester hoax post missed some obvious capital letters, and while community managers do make mistakes, it’s a good sign that something is afoot.

2) Take a good look at the account name.

Are there any suspicious spaces, periods, dashes or other gimmicks in the Account Name that lead you to believe it’s fake? In this case, since Microsoft hasn’t officially named their new console yet, the very fact that it’s called XBOX Infinity and features made-up console art makes it suspicious.

3) How old is the account?

In this instance, the XBOX Infinity account was created March 9th, 2013. I assure you, if Microsoft wanted this account for it’s upcoming console, they’d have locked it down before last week. This group was a bit smarter than usual and listed a much earlier “Founded” date, giving their profile the at-first-glance appearance of better legitimacy.

The PS4 scam failed to do even that, but it didn’t stop them from getting shared over 60,000 times inside 24 hours.

4) Google the post.

Seriously. Copy part of the text of the post, then paste it into Google with quotes around it like so:

“Microsoft needs testers for the upcoming Xbox Infinity. You will get to keep the Xbox Infinity after you’ve tested it…..”

(See all those extra “…”s? That’s a sign.)

When you do that you’ll likely see people outright asking if it’s a scam, or confirming it is a scam. Or you may find listing after listing after listing of the same text, another good sign that it’s a scam:

 Think you’ve spotted a scam? I’ll be glad to help you investigate. Share tips on scam spotting with your friends, and remember: if it looks to good, to simple, or to awesome to be true, there’s a really good chance it is.

Be smart.