Kenya: Beware of Fake Facebook Page Promising Big Discounts On Water Tanks in Kenya

26 May 2023
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That's the case for a Facebook page and website offering unusually high discounts on Roto water tanks - they're bogus.

The Facebook page Roto Tank Moulders offers huge discounts on Roto water tanks manufactured by Roto Moulders Limited, a company in Kenya.

The page uses the Kenyan company's name and logo. Its ads feature images of the company's products and promise discounts of up to 35% and free delivery countrywide.

A typical post on the page, dated 26 April 2023, reads: "OFFER! OFFER! Buy High Quality Double Layered Roto Tanks at 35% discount today and get free delivery within 24 hours! Visit our website through the link below to learn more. OFFER VALID WHILE STOCKS LAST."

The page links to the website www.rotokenya.com and the ads have attracted thousands of engagements.

But are the Facebook page, the website and the offers it advertises legit? We checked.

Signs Facebook page is fake

The "page transparency" section of the Facebook page shows that it was only created on 25 April and has about 400 followers. We checked the URL (online address) of the website on the page and found that it was first registered on 20 April. It is unlikely that a company that has been operating in Kenya for many years would have a newly created Facebook page and website.

We contacted the company and were told that the official website is rotomoulders.com. You can access the company's official Facebook page, Roto Tanks, from the website. It was created on 13 February 2014 and has over 50,000 followers. None of the heavily discounted offers are advertised on it.

The company confirmed to Africa Check that the Facebook page and website advertising big discounts are fake. It has also warned the public to fall for the scam.

To protect yourself from online fraudsters, read Africa Check's guide to Facebook scams and how to spot them.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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