Tragicomedy in a digital world!

I thought it was just going to be a normal, super-warm working afternoon with posties all around me, blaring my usual tunes and secretly sucking on IQOS… and then a few minutes ago I was treated to an incredibly sophisticated online scam that was both marketing and sales genius.

It started with a Facebook ad about András Moldovan’s alleged scandal. The ad with the web address “Index” appeared to be real. After clicking on it, I was taken to a perfectly imitated landing page, where I was greeted by a detailed but completely fictitious story. A deceptive Index page that differs from the original only in that nothing is clickable (menu items) – only the option…

The article followed an offer of an investment opportunity on a platform called “Immediate ZenX”, which supposedly made money for Andrew. I registered with a mail address and phone number – now I was very curious to be convinced. Immediately (a few seconds) after registration, I received a phone call, which further confirmed the authenticity of the situation… but something was wrong. There was a man on the other end (calling from a Hungarian number +36 30 748 6838) who spoke very bad Hungarian, probably Indian, and was very willing to help me where to write my bank account number and invest $250 today so that I could become a millionaire. We didn’t talk much, I tried to ask smart questions, which was rude, I don’t know if it was AI, maybe it was! So logically it had to be.

It’s all a well-planned scam. Neither Immediate ZenX nor that site officially exists. Just a brilliant team behind the scenes.

Lesson: Be careful online and don’t fall for every story that seems plausible. Marketing and sales tools, if in the wrong hands, are very dangerous!

Let’s talk about it, learn from it and protect ourselves and others from such scams!

Here are some key marketing and sales techniques that fraudsters have used brilliantly and that we should all practice:

  • Targeted advertising: precise audience targeting in your ads.
  • Emotional impact: storytelling that engages the reader emotionally.
  • The illusion of credibility: using sources that seem reliable, such as the “Index”.
  • Direct calls to action: call-to-action (CTAs) that encourage immediate registration.
  • Advance Decision Making: a quick phone call after registration to help you close the deal (while the flow is still ongoing).
  • Constant interest: to maintain interest by constantly providing new information.

These techniques can be used in a legal and ethical environment, but be aware of the importance of responsible marketing!

Well, what have we got!