I knew something was wrong with that Facebook group. I just knew it.
A few weeks ago, I joined a Facebook group of CPKC Holiday Train enthusiasts. Yes, there’s a Facebook group for that. There wasn’t much to the group – mostly questions about whether the train will pass through this town or that village, whether the lights will be on, whether the cars will be rebranded CPKC this year or still carry the old Canadian Pacific wordmarks …
And with the Holiday Train beginning its travels today, this Facebook Group suddenly offered its members the chance to stream the Holiday Train show from the comfort of their home computers and phones.
All for a small credit card fee, of course.
Because the moment someone posted that they went to the streaming link and was asked for a credit card to view the show …
I immediately posted that the link was a scam, and that the concert was free to attend and not on a pay-per-view channel.
Then I left that Facebook group.
Damn it.
I hate that. I hate that there are Facebook scammers and grifters out there who want to sell either cheap-ass merchandise generated from public-domain images, or they use the @everyone tag to draw people to their shady bait-and-switch links.
And you know who gets hurt from all this? You and me. And CPKC, who have posted on their social media sites that they are NOT streaming the Holiday Train show as a pay-per-view or online event. You want to see the performances? Go to the events and bring some charitable donations for the food bank.
Here’s another instance. I’m also part of a Facebook group for the NZ rock band Dragon. Because, yeah, I am. Every so often, this mysterious figure will post in the FB group, with a message of, “I just got my brand new Dragon T-shirt, but nobody here likes it. But I’m going to post it here, I hope you enjoy it.” And with that same language comes a T-shirt with the band’s logo, or an image of one of the band’s classic albums. And the shirt is the same type of image you would see on a CafePress or print-on-demand service. Another scam. Ugh.
Now granted, the admins in that Dragon FB group remove those ads as quickly as they’re generated, but still … at one point, the graphic image used for the T-shirt wasn’t of the band Dragon, but of a generic sword-and-sorcery dragon. That’s like seeing a hobo wearing a Man of Steel T-shirt and claiming it’s the band Supertramp. Give me a break.
And these scams are flying fast and quick. Especially around the holidays. Because who wouldn’t want to watch the Holiday Train while wearing your favorite New Zealand rock band’s T-shirt?
So let me do this for you. This is the CPKC Holiday Train show from 2021, back when we were still in the pandemic and the show had to be produced for a virtual train ride. Just in case you can’t get to one of the concert locales.
You know what? As an added bonus, I’ll even throw in this old DVD of the Holiday Train from 2006.
And you don’t need a credit card to ride this train. However, if you are feeling in the charitable spirit, I have just the option for you. It’s the world’s greatest cryptocurrency.
You can purchase a Chuckycoin. That’s right, we’re bringing back the Chuckycoin for the holidays. For the low, low price of $5,000 US, you can purchase one gleaming Chuckycoin, good for any purchases of photography or art or wisdom from yours truly. And the Chuckycoin is great for that special gift you want to give someone as a last-minute purchase because you really weren’t planning on getting them anything in the first minute.
But seriously. Don’t believe any of those sites that offer a Holiday Train live stream with your credit card. Don’t fall for that. Those scammers are out there like an army of Grinches and Old Man Potters and Frosty-hat-stealing-magicians. They care nothing for the holidays. They care about how much they can scrape out of your wallet and how willing you are to give them that money.
If anything .. those griefers barely deserve the requisite lumps of coal for Christmas.
Thank you for attending my TEDx Talk. 😀
Chuck The Writer 
Thanks for borrowing a line from Huey Lewis (“The Power of Love”, 1985). Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize it? Anyway, if people follow your lead and recognize the scam for what it is, then they should turn these clowns in and shut them down.
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Have recently gotten involved in the tv series The Chosen, and joined their Facebook group…just because. The hype for the 4th season started as soon as Season 3 was released. And one day, a post from what looked to be the admins said that they would be showing the theatrical release of Season 4 before Season 4 was even done shooting….just give us your credit card number for a ticket. No date, time, place etc. Stop for a minute and think, people!!
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