A Hard Lesson from My Facebook Promo
While running a Facebook Page promotion, I discovered I had been scammed by fake accounts pretending to be winners. Here’s my story, what I learned, and how I’m protecting my community moving forward.
I never thought that giving back to my online community would end with me getting scammed.
As a content creator, I’ve always made it a point to appreciate the people who engage with my posts, support my journey, and make time for my content. That’s why I launched my ongoing “Engage & Win” promotion on my Facebook Page, a simple way to give back by rewarding Top Fans and the Most Engaged Followers with small GCash prizes.
It worked smoothly for a while. The winners were happy. I was happy. Everyone felt the love.
But then… something changed.
What Happened: The Scam That Shattered My Trust
For my Back-To-School Edition, I announced the winners like I always do. Right after the post, several accounts messaged me, claiming they were the lucky ones. I cross-checked their names, they matched the list. I checked if they followed me, some did. Everything looked okay on the surface.
So I sent out the Php300 GCash prizes, believing I was making someone’s day.
But soon after, the real winners messaged me saying they never received anything.
That’s when I realized: I had been scammed. 😞
Fake profiles were created to mimic my real supporters. These scammers watched my promo, copied the winners’ names, and messaged me first, pretending to be them. And I fell for it.
Why It Hurt So Much
This wasn’t just about money. It was about trust. 💔
I was excited to celebrate and give back to my #KheayeFam community. But instead of sharing joy, I ended up giving away hard-earned money to people who deliberately lied and stole.
To the scammers: what you did is no different from theft. You took something that wasn’t yours, something that was meant to reward real effort, and used deception to take advantage of someone trying to do good.
You pretended. You took. You lied.
And somehow, you were okay with using that money for yourself.
Moving Forward: What I’m Doing Now
This was a wake-up call. From now on, things are going to change.
✅ All future prize claims will require:
- A valid government-issued ID
- A selfie holding that ID
- A screenshot of verified GCash Account
✅ I will personally verify all profiles before sending any prizes.
✅ I’ll be more cautious, and I’m committed to protecting my genuine followers from this happening again.
To my real community: thank you. For the understanding, the support, and the continued engagement, you are the reason I keep going.
A Message to Fellow Creators and Small Page Owners
If you’re running any kind of public promo or giveaway, be careful. The internet is full of good people, but also those who will exploit kindness.
Double check. Verify. Protect your heart and your brand.
Let my mistake serve as a reminder: Even good intentions need strong boundaries.
“Protect your heart when giving, not because people don’t deserve kindness—but because some will pretend they do.” — Karen Kheaye
Have you ever been scammed too? Share your story below.
#KheayeFam #ScamAlert #ContentCreatorLife #FacebookScam #PromoScam #DigitalSafety #LessonsLearned #EngageAndWin #RealTalk #PHContentCreator #SupportLocalCreators #GCashScam #OnlineCommunity #KheayeSpeaks #FilipinaCreator #karen #karenkheaye #karens #karenread
Karen Kheaye 
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