Greg's Corner

Fake Starlink Deals Flood Facebook

By Greg Collier

As SpaceX continues to offer legitimate discounts for its Starlink satellite internet service, scammers are taking advantage of the buzz with fraudulent ads on Facebook. According to a recent report by PCMag, deceptive promotions are circulating on the platform that falsely promise “lifetime access” to Starlink at a steep discount.

The fraudulent ads frequently appear in Facebook search results for Starlink and claim to offer official Starlink hardware, including the new portable Mini dish, for a one-time payment as low as $127. Some ads suggest that SpaceX is running a limited-time promotion for a small batch of discounted units, implying urgency to lure unsuspecting customers. However, these promotions do not link to the official Starlink website.

Instead, users are redirected to imposter websites. These sites mimic the look of legitimate retailers and offer unrealistic deals, like three Starlink dishes for $39.99 with so-called lifetime internet access. After selecting a package, consumers are taken to a checkout page that accepts credit card payments. In numerous instances, customers who made purchases never received any products.

Although some users have been able to recognize these sites as fraudulent, others were deceived. Reports of the scam have emerged from several countries, and it has been active since at least May. The ease with which these ads can be found through Facebook search suggests the scam is widespread and ongoing.

SpaceX has issued previous warnings about similar scams involving phishing emails and fraudulent texts posing as Starlink representatives. Meanwhile, the company has promoted its own verified deals through Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter).

Despite the presence of these scams on its platform, Facebook has not issued a public response. The prevalence of fraudulent ads continues to raise concerns about the social media platform’s ability to detect and remove deceptive content before it causes financial harm.

Beyond the immediate financial loss, victims may also be at risk of identity theft. By entering personal and payment information into these fake websites, users could unknowingly expose their data to criminals who may resell the information or use it for further fraud. This adds a longer-term risk that may not be immediately apparent to those targeted by the scam.

Starlink currently provides internet service to over two million customers in the United States. As with any high-demand product, consumers are urged to verify the authenticity of any deal by visiting the official website and avoiding third-party links promising unrealistic offers.