Fake Clearance Sales Trap Shoppers with Sense of Urgency

As of 2025-08-24T06:20:16+00:00, a concerning trend has emerged on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram - fake ads claiming businesses are closing down and offering steep discounts on remaining stock. These ads, which have been proliferating over the past several months, use emotional language and a sense of urgency to lure unsuspecting shoppers.

The ads often feature an elderly couple retiring after 40 years or a clothing retailer sadly shutting their doors, creating the impression of a genuine business closure. However, cybersecurity researchers have found that these are simply scams, with no actual businesses closing down. Instead, the ads are designed to extract money from consumers, who may receive low-quality or counterfeit products, if anything at all.

One Madrid-based researcher, Marta Mallavibarrena, recently discovered that over 50,000 ads had used the same "closing down" language, with 1,600 still active as of late August 2025. Many of the accounts behind these ads had only been around for a short time or had changed their profile names in recent weeks, further indicating their fraudulent nature.

Experts warn that these scams leverage the "scarcity principle" - the idea that people place more value on items with limited availability. The ads may offer additional discounts for bulk purchases, further enticing shoppers to act quickly. However, the products that are ultimately delivered often bear little resemblance to what was advertised, with consumers receiving cheap, low-quality items instead of the promised merchandise.