Time and time again, we do our best to warn you about the evils in the world. And, well, the latest concerns a pair of $9.99 Ray-Bans.

That’s R120 for a two grand pair of sunnies.

Springing up on Instagram feeds everywhere are ads hawking not so reputable pairs of the stylish sunglasses, because what is being advertised is fake.

This was discovered first hand by The Spinoff‘s Don Rowe after he realised that he was, in fact, to blame for some of the spam being spread among his friends:

The ads, posted by individual user accounts up to four times in a row without warning, consist of a bad graphic offering Ray-Bans at 90% discounts in any currency from pound to euro to the New Zealand dollar.

Exhibit A:

Various URLs are provided for shoppers, but the sites are pretty much the same in their amateur design, error-ridden copy, and total lack of affiliation with the actual Ray-Ban site:

“We are professional online company in the world,” they trumpet. “Our designer items are hand picked to match every uptown ladies’ latest desires all at discounted prices.”

“This is a perfect place for perfect products. It would be an honor [sic] for our professional team to provide satisfied services for you.”

Once you have clicked one of the links, depending on the ad in question, different things happen.

Some send you to fake sites so you can order one, or many, pairs of sunnies, but others do more damage. Once the link is clicked, those on your “following” list are then tagged in the comment section of said fake ad, and a bot account, presumably linked to said fake ad, is able to pick up which of those friends have public profile and then likes their posts.

In one word, it’s messy.

But this is not the first time the attractive offer of 90% off Ray-Bans and other luxury items has hit the web: pretty much every year since 2015 a similar fake ad has been seen, and fallen for, on Facebook:

Alongside fake Ray-Bans, users on Facebook and Instagram have been exposed to ads offering cheap Yeezy’s, Rolex watches and Luis Vuitton bags, among other luxury goods, for at least half a decade.

However, over and above the spam and falling for fake goods, there are lot more serious questions that are yet to be answered.

First off, who’s to blame? The content really is irrelevant in comparison to the fact the posts exist in the first place. I mean, if a third party is able to pretend to be a user at will, not only products, but also opinions, are much more dangerous than fake sunglasses could ever be.

Whilst common sense and scepticism is free, the best bet is to just buy the the legitimate product.

Sunglass Hut offers an extensive range of Ray-Bans – you can see all 15 pages of their options here – and while they might cost a little bit more than $9.99, they are the real McCoy.

Exhibit B:

RB3447

Folding Wayfarer

Original Aviator

Much better, aren’t they?

Don’t be a fool by spreading those fake ads to your friends, be lekker.

[source:thespinoff]