How a fake garden seeds offer on Facebook almost cost a Full Fact reader over £500

A Full Fact reader who was fooled by a fake gardening offer on Facebook has told us how the bogus post nearly cost her over £500. Sandy Hillery, 79, from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, contacted us to share her story after reading some of the fact checks we’ve written about fake offers circulating on social media. Sandy told us that she was tricked by a Facebook post claiming that the home improvement retailer Wickes was offering 96 packs of seeds for just £3. She said she “took the bait” and attempted to order after seeing the post, only to be contacted by her bank hours later who had stopped two suspicious transactions. Sandy is a keen gardener, and often sits browsing online in the mornings, having a cup of tea. One Sunday in early February she stumbled across a Facebook post that she said claimed to be from someone who had been queuing for the cashier in Wickes and had heard someone say people can get packs of seeds for free, as long as they pay postage. The Facebook post included a link that would supposedly enable other people to claim the deal. Sandy told us the wording of the
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