Facebook posts falsely claim Amazon is giving away free laptops

What's the claim?

Some viral Facebook posts have claimed that Amazon is giving away free Hewlett-Packard (HP) 15" laptops to everyone over the age of 25 due to a sorting error. 

One such post features an image of a stack of silver HP laptops neatly arranged in an office or storage space, captioned: "Amazon has decided to give everyone over 25 an HP laptop 15' as a gift because a batch of laptops was left without boxes due to an error at the sorting center. Click below to find out how to get your laptop."

The post encourages users to click a link to learn how to claim their laptop, with numerous responses appearing to verify the offer. Commenters claim to have ordered the laptop for £3, been contacted by a manager, and received their delivery within days. The archive of the post can be found here.

Screenshot of a Facebook post. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the posts are a scam. The image used in the post is over a year old, and many of the comments post old images of HP laptops from various sources, some dating back to as early as 2016, falsely presenting them as recently received laptops.

What did we find?

The link leads to a website with Amazon branding that does not have an official Amazon URL, indicating that the website is not connected to Amazon. 

The user is prompted to fill in a short survey followed by a game in which they select three random boxes. After selecting the third box, a message appears saying they have won an HP Pavilion laptop. The user is then prompted to enter their personal information, address, and bank details to pay the £2 postage fee. These are all hallmarks of a phishing scam.

The Amazon logo in the top left-hand corner of the page does not lead to the Amazon website as it would on a legitimate Amazon webpage, further indicating that the website is a scam.

Screenshots of the scam contest website. The main page shows the user must pay a £3 fee to get the laptop, but the payment page shows £2. (Source: Screenshots/Composite by Logically Facts)

Further, a reverse image search on the photo of the stacked HP laptops reveals that the image is not new; it was posted on LinkedIn over a year ago with different context.

Screenshot of a LinkedIn post from last year featuring the same image. (Source: LinkedIn/Modified by Logically Facts)

Fake comments

In the post's comments section, numerous users claim to have successfully ordered a laptop for £3, often sharing photos of HP laptops they supposedly received in cardboard boxes. Many of these comments suggest the laptops arrived in the second week of October, with phrases like "received today" and "arrived this week."

However, these images are not original; several are sourced from unboxing videos on YouTube dating back to 2021 (archived here), including a thumbnail from a 2016 YouTube video (archived here) and a Facebook post from 2020 (archived here). These recycled images further prove the comments and posts are part of a deceptive scam.

Comparison of images shared in the comments of the viral post with the same images previously posted online. (Source: Facebook/YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

Scam account activity and user warning

Several red flags indicate that this post is not a legitimate giveaway. The account responsible for this scam was created on October 10, 2024, and has only three posts — apart from the viral one — all claiming to offer free Amazon laptops. There is no affiliation with Amazon, and these alleged giveaways are the only content displayed.

We also observed the same users posting identical comments on two different posts, raising suspicion about the authenticity of these claims. 

Comparison of the comments on the viral post with identical comments found on another post making a similar claim. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

Among the comments, one warns, "They attempted to take money from my bank account with which I sent them the £3 and laptop I didn't receive. Please, please don't fall into their traps." It further adds, "All the people saying that they have received their laptops are part of the people!" 

Screenshot of a comment on the Facebook post. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

Amazon's response

Logically Facts contacted Amazon for comment on the post. Nikhil Gulati from APAC Issues & Media Relations stated, "If it's not on Amazon, it's unlikely to be authorized by our company," and noted that a more thorough investigation would be conducted. We will update this fact-check if and when we receive a final response from Amazon.

Logically Facts has previously debunked similar scam posts and other deceptive commercial giveaways, including a supposed Aldi giveaway, an FTX giveaway, and a post claiming Facebook users could win two free houses.

The verdict