Powerball Winners John and Lisa Robinson Giving Away Winnings-Scam!
Summary of eRumor:
Social media posts claim that John and Lisa Robinson, co-winners of the $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot, are giving away cash to random people who like and share a website.
The Truth:
Powerball winners John and Lisa Robinson don’t have any plans to share the wealth with random people who like and comment on a Facebook page.
That rumor spread across social media sites shortly after the Robinsons claimed more than $500 million, their stake of the record-setting $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot in January 2016.
The first clue that this was a hoax was a “people remaining” countdown tool displayed on a website linked to the offer. Despite thousands of people “redeeming” the offer, the countdown tracker continued to show that fewer than 100 people could still redeem it.
Accounts from people who tried to redeem John and Lisa Robinson’s Powerball giveaway offer further prove that this is a hoax. One Facebook user shared the post and was notified that he had “won.” He was asked to click on a second link and to provide personal information to redeem his “prize.” Another commenter said he discovered that the site was recording the email addresses of those who shared the link.
Another consideration is that the Robinsons have laid out plans for their winnings in media reports, and they never once mentioned sharing the wealth with perfect strangers on social media posts. Rather, the Robinsons planned to donate to their church, and to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, and said they would “help certain friends,” the Associated Press reports.
If you shared the fake John and Lisa Robinson Powerball giveaway offer, you should log on from a different computer and change the email and password associated with your accounts. Then, you should open “App Settings” in your Facebook account and remove any apps that may have been added to your security settings without your knowledge, according to Phishlist.com.