Harvey Norman laptop scam comes at a price

^{By David Campbell}

Facebook posts claiming that Australian retail giant Harvey Norman is handing out free laptops and electronics are a scam. 

The posts, typically featuring photos of storerooms piled high with the supposed giveaways, direct users to visit websites that are not affiliated with the company in order to harvest their personal and credit card information. 

A recent post claims: “Harvey Norman is giving away last year’s MacBook Pro to everyone in Australia over the age 25 [sic] to get rid of excess inventory and clear the warehouse for new models. Click on the button and answer 3 questions.”

Similar posts claim to offer iPads, Dell laptops and other electronics. 

Users who answer the questions are “given a chance to win” the products — but only if they hand over their credit card details, including their name and address. 

Harvey Norman has confirmed to RMIT Lookout that the posts are a scam, and has previously used social media to label the laptop giveaway a "fake advertisement".

Several clues point to the campaign being a fabrication. For example, different versions of the website landing page — replete with fake Facebook comments — have used URLs belonging to other companies, including a tech review site based in the Philippines. 

Photos accompanying the Facebook posts also include visual inconsistencies. One photo shows a staff member wearing the name tag of US retailer Walmart, while another shows the logo of Nigerian retailer Shopinverse in the background.

Comments posted by Facebook users attesting to the authenticity of the giveaway are themselves inauthentic. 

In one case, two accounts posting in quick succession shared the same name, profession and home city, with one adopting the profile photo of an unrelated LinkedIn account. 

Harvey Norman has set up a webpage dedicated to combating scams, warning people of "the increase in scams which fraudulently use the Harvey Norman brand to trick unsuspecting customers into sharing their personal and/or financial details".

“Designed to mimic Harvey Norman branded communications, scams may take on the form of company emails, SMS notifications, social media posts or phone calls,” the website says.

“Be on the alert at all times and remember that Harvey Norman will never request your personal or banking details — such as your account or credit card details or password — in unsolicited communications.” 

AAP FactCheck has also found claims of laptop giveaways by Harvey Norman to be false, noting similar scams about electronics from Amazon and UK retailer Argos. 

Further information about scam tactics can be found on the Australian government’s ScamWatch website. According to the initiative’s latest report on scam activity, Australians collectively lost $2.7 billion to scammers in 2023.