Some events you see on Facebook are fake.

The current suspicious event in Plovdiv promises a dinner gathering at a real restaurant on a date in the future. The organizers say you have to pre-register, but the registration link doesn’t exist or doesn’t work. Then they change the date of the event, recycling the announcement without ever hosting the event.

The alleged organizers have been doing this in multiple cities in Bulgaria.

As of mid-January 2026, the date for the Plovdiv event has changed 6 times, and the name of the organizer has changed twice. They’ve been promoting the same non-existent event since May 2025. You can see this information by clicking See more under “Event transparency” at the bottom of the event listing.

I asked Brave AI about the likely goal of the project. Here’s what Brave told me, lightly edited.

Brave: What’s their goal?

This setup suggests the primary product is not the event, but the engagement itself.

1. Ad Revenue via Fake Traffic

The most likely motive is monetization through digital advertising. High-engagement pages can be used to:

  • Attract ad networks by demonstrating large audiences.
  • Generate revenue from pay-per-click (PPC) or impression-based ads.
  • Be sold as “established” social media assets with high follower counts.

2. Data Harvesting

Even without formal registration, comment sections and message inquiries can be mined for personal information:

  • Names, email addresses, or phone numbers left in comments.
  • Behavioral data on user interests and responsiveness.
  • Use of fake “DM us to join” prompts to collect private messages.

This data can be used for targeted phishing, identity theft, or resale.

3. Influence Operations and Disinformation

Bulgaria has seen documented cases of “mushroom websites” and coordinated networks using fake or low-quality content to manipulate public discourse. These networks:

  • Use trolls and bots to amplify engagement.
  • Trick algorithms into promoting content as “viral.”
  • Serve political or financial interests by shaping online narratives.

Fake community events could be part of this ecosystem, used to boost page credibility before pivoting to propaganda or scams.

4. Social Proof for Future Scams

By building a following, the organizers may be laying the groundwork for future fraud, such as:

  • Promoting a real but overpriced event or retreat.
  • Selling digital products or memberships.
  • Launching a crowdfunding campaign with no intention to deliver.

The repeated engagement builds trust and perceived legitimacy, making future scams more effective.

What could happen to your data?

Collected user comments and messages are typically exploited for data harvesting and further scam operations. Based on patterns observed in similar online fraud schemes in Bulgaria and globally, the data is used in several ways:

1. Personal Data Exploitation

  • Names, contact details, and personal messages left in comments or private messages are harvested to build databases of interested individuals.
  • This data can be used for targeted phishing, identity theft, or resold to other criminal networks.

2. Credential and Behavioral Profiling

  • Scammers analyze user behavior (e.g., willingness to engage, tone of messages) to identify highly responsive targets.
  • These profiles are valuable for romance scams, investment frauds, or social engineering attacks, where trust is gradually built before exploitation.

3. Account Takeover and Impersonation

  • If users include email addresses or phone numbers, scammers may attempt credential stuffing or SIM-swapping to gain access to other accounts.
  • Fake profiles using real user data can be created to launder authenticity on social media, making future scams appear more credible.

4. Monetization via Ad Fraud or Page Sales

  • High-engagement pages with real user interactions are more valuable for ad revenue or can be sold as “established” social media assets.
  • The presence of genuine comments increases the perceived legitimacy of the page, boosting its market value.

5. Integration into Larger Disinformation or Fraud Networks

  • Bulgaria has documented networks of “mushroom websites” and coordinated Facebook assets used for propaganda and ad fraud.
  • User engagement from fake events can be funneled into these ecosystems to amplify content, boost algorithmic visibility, or recruit victims for financial scams.

How to identify such scams

Look for these red flags:

  • No working registration or contact information.
  • Repeated date changes without explanation.
  • Generic or stock photos used in promotion.
  • High engagement but no real follow-up (e.g., no event photos or attendee reviews).
  • Links leading to 404 pages or unrelated domains.