On March 22, a Facebook post claiming to be from the company Alta announced a giveaway of Smeg kettles. The post, shared by the Facebook page Alta – ალტა, stated that customers could purchase a Smeg kettle for just GEL 7, with only 100 kettles available at this special price. It also instructed interested participants to click on “Order” to take part in the promotion.
The information about purchasing Smeg kettles for GEL 7 is being spread by a fraudulent page created for financial scams. The purpose of this Facebook page is to collect users’ personal information, including their bank card details. Additionally, the company Alta urges customers not to be misled by the fake pages promoting such giveaways.
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What do we know about the Facebook page Alta – ალტა?
The Facebook page Alta – ალტა was created on March 17, 2025, and had 377 followers as of March 26. To appear credible, the page uses the real logo of the electronics company Alta as its profile picture, but the logo is mirrored. The page also lists links to other social media platforms such as Instagram and X, a phone number (032 138 40 38), an email address (mailto:[email protected]), a physical address, and a website (tinyurl.com/Alta-Smeg). However, the Instagram and X links do not work, and the phone number is non-functional. But the given address is a real address of an Alta electronics store; also the listed email address is active, and the provided website link is accessible.
A comparison of the fake page with the real Alta Facebook page shows that the fake page is newly created; it has very few followers; and the cover photo features only one product – an image of a Smeg kettle, which is not typical for a legitimate electronics store offering a variety of products.
Unlike some other fraudulent pages, this newly created scam page makes significant efforts to mimic posts from the real Alta page, which may make it more difficult for users to distinguish between the fake and the genuine page.
However, the fake page has only six posts about the products offered, which also raises suspicion. The real Alta Facebook page, of course, features more than six products.
Unlike other fake Facebook pages that Myth Detector has frequently reported on, this particular fraudulent page is making an active effort to appear trustworthy. For example, as seen in the screenshots below, the fake Alta page has copied a post directly from the real page. The only difference is that on the real Alta page, users can view and purchase the featured product by clicking on the provided link.
However, this feature alone does not definitively prove the page is fake, as the “Order Now” button appears on the last post published by the fraudulent page, which promotes purchasing a Smeg kettle for GEL 7.
If a user clicks the “Order Now” button, they are told they have become a “member of the Smeg campaign” and can “upgrade their kitchen with Italian elegance” for just GEL 7. To proceed with the giveaway, the user must fill out a simple questionnaire, which includes the following questions: Have you ever purchased SMEG products? Which category of SMEG products do you like the most? Do you live in Georgia?
Both the giveaway announcement and the questionnaire contain unnatural Georgian phrasing, raising suspicion that the text was written by a non-Georgian speaker. For instance, in response to the third question, “Do you live in Georgia?” instead of choosing between “Yes” or “No,” the user is given the options “Yes” or “Nothing.”
After completing the questionnaire, the user is asked to select one of several displayed gift boxes. On the first attempt, they win nothing, but the company “grants them a second chance.” On the second attempt, they are declared a winner and instructed to enter their personal details in the provided fields to receive the kettle.
After entering their full name, mobile phone number, email address, and home address, the “giveaway participant” is then asked to provide their bank card details on the website.
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What Do We Know About the Website?
The fraudulent website (classyagrofoods.com), where users are asked to enter their personal information, was created on January 23, 2024. According to whois.domaintool, its IP address is located in Russia, specifically in St. Petersburg.
What Statement Has the Electronics Company Alta Released?
On March 18, the company Alta made a statement on social media regarding the fraudulent Facebook page. In its post, Alta clarified that the fake page created under its name is a phishing scam aimed at stealing users’ personal data. The company also urged customers not to trust “special offers” spread by unofficial pages and, if they have shared their banking details, to immediately block their card.
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How To Protect Yourself from Fraud?
Phishing scams are a common form of fraud designed to trick users into revealing their personal data and financial information. Recently, many fraudulent Facebook pages have misled users by offering giveaways or job offers. Scammers create fake Facebook pages that resemble legitimate company pages, using real logos and branding to gain users’ trust. They then lure people in with deceptive promotions, claiming they can buy expensive products at extremely low prices. Fraudsters ask users to place an order or join a giveaway, and once users do so, they are asked to enter their personal details, including bank card information. Eventually, fraudsters may either withdraw money from their cards or use the stolen information for other criminal activities.
To protect themselves, users should always verify the credibility of such information. Firstly, the users must check the page creation date and the number of followers and assess whether the posts look realistic. Official companies usually do not offer expensive electronics at unrealistically low prices, so users must be skeptical of such offers. It is also advisable to verify information on the company’s official website. For example, Smeg products are not available at Alta electronics stores, and in other Georgian stores, a Smeg kettle starts at GEL 680.
If a user has already entered personal information on such a website, they should immediately block their bank card and contact their bank.
Myth Detector has recently exposed other similar fraudulent schemes, including a scam involving public transportation in Batumi and Tbilisi, where residents were falsely promised year-long travel passes for just GEL 7:
- Following Tbilisi, Fraudulent Claim About 7 GEL Public Transport Fare Spreads in Batumi
- Fraudulent Page Spreads False Information About Traveling for GEL 7 Per Year with a Metromoney Card
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