Scammers may use Facebook to steal your money and personal information, while you may just use it to watch videos of beautiful cats. However, criminals may also use Facebook to take advantage of you.
Facebook has the potential to become a wonderful resource that is packed with opportunities to learn about new things, commemorate major milestones in one’s life, and reconnect with old acquaintances. However, despite its widespread popularity, this online social network may also serve as a fertile ground for scams, fraud, and other forms of deceptive and misleading information, as well as disinformation.
Every single day, new Facebook scams are brought to light, and each one is more clever and difficult to recognize than the one that came before it.
Most Common Facebook Scams These Days!
Outlined below are some of the most common Facebook scams of this year – so stay on top of information and be aware!
1. Romance Scams
It is important to give serious consideration to your choice before accepting friend requests from someone you do not know since doing so might lead you to fall for a romance scam.
The people on the other end are just looking for friends and start opening up, which leads to the two of you starting to trade personal stories. The conversations start out in a rather good-natured manner. Rather soon, you begin to feel like “real” friends, and there is even a sense of chemistry between the two of you.
In point of fact, scammers utilize this as one of their ploys to trick you into trusting them so that they may steal your money later on. When this close friend comes to you asking for money or other items, you often find yourself wanting to help them out.
However, in order to gain your trust and confidence, the other person has been deceiving you all along with lies. Once they get it, they will act as if they need money for a made-up emergency, which will keep getting worse until your bank account is completely drained of its funds.
2. Phishing Scams
If you get a direct message or email from Facebook claiming that your account is about to be canceled, you should investigate the source thoroughly.
Phishing attacks are conducted by scammers that act as Facebook in an attempt to steal your data or download malicious software (such as malware or ransomware) onto your computer. These attacks are known as social engineering attacks. In order to access your account after receiving the fake messages, you will be required to input your login credentials and maybe additional personal information on a website that the fake messages will drive you to.
Never open a link without first checking to see if it is authentic; if you do, you run the danger of installing malware or giving away your data by answering the questions. Never click a link without first checking to see if it is legitimate. You should rather utilize your browser to instantly log into your account and confirm the message as soon as possible.
3. Fake / False Medical Fundraisers
Regrettably, scammers often utilize terrible stories, such as a catastrophic diagnosis or a life-threatening sickness, for the purpose of gaining financial advantage for themselves.
They might pose as someone who has been hurt in a catastrophic car accident or has been diagnosed with cancer in messages or posts on Facebook, begging for aid with financial costs associated with medical care. A similar deception with COVID-19 involves scammers making the claim that they are in need of financial aid because the virus has left them stranded, unwell, or has hurt them in some other manner and that they are asking for it.
These scammers will solicit donations using a GoFundMe page or a third-party service such as Venmo or CashApp, playing on the sympathy and generosity of unsuspecting victims.
It’s common for the requests to originate from phony copies of Facebook sites, and after the money is handed over, those pages just disappear into thin air. The fake pages may utilize stolen photos and information. Keep in mind that if you donate to a fake fundraiser through a third-party app, your money is not protected. This is one of the reasons why scams using Venmo, CashApp, and Zelle are so common.
4. Bogus Job Scams
As more and more people embrace the lifestyle of “working from home,” con artists are more eager than ever to profit from the hype, and they are in a better position to do so than ever before.
One of the ways that they attempt to influence you is by providing job, and income opportunities that seem too good to be true and that would allow individuals to make enormous sums of money while working from home. They collect sensitive information from customers, which often includes bank account information, records, and social security numbers, and then sell it on the Dark Web to whoever is willing to pay the most for it.
Before a user may get their “inevitable fortune,” the deception often takes the form of a pyramid scheme, in which the user is required to make a financial transaction or buy items before receiving their “inevitable wealth.” It is a good idea to do some research on the company and to refrain from clicking on any offers that seem to be too good to be true.
5. Lottery Scams
Ever gotten a message on Facebook saying, “You’ve Won!” At first glance, it seems to be a fantastic idea: A “Secret Santa” exchange is being organized by an unknown individual; participants are asked to give one person a $10 gift and get three gifts from other participants in return.
Similar to the antiquated systems of sending lottery tickets over the mail, there is no guarantee that you will get your money returned if you fall victim to one of these Facebook scams. It is possible that you will not get anything in exchange for your gift if no one else sends theirs. What’s the worst of it? You just disclosed your home location to a stranger, along with a list of items that you appreciate.
Your home address may be used by malicious actors to frame you or put your identity at risk, and if you provide any extra personal information, it may be easy for hackers to figure out the answers to the security questions you set up for your password.
If you believe that you are at risk, reach out to the Global Payback experts and we will help you out!
6. Giveaway Scams
Giving away an iPad at no cost? Put me down for one!
Before you go ahead and click on a fake link on Facebook, you should take a moment to think about whether or not it seems to be authentic. In the context of this bank scam, many con artists use the use of fraudulent presents as a means of tricking victims into divulging sensitive information such as credit card data or clicking on websites that might infect their devices with viruses. Scams on Instagram are just another method through which these kinds of frauds may take place.
Despite this, there are legitimate opportunities to win prizes via competitions, draws, and gifts. However, there is almost always a reason behind it; most companies are hoping that the incentive of a free iPad, for example, would convince you to do something, such as sign up for their newsletter or make a purchase.
Before you provide any of your personal information to them, you should weigh the likelihood of winning the competition against the potential consequences of giving the company access to your contact information, such as your email address or phone number. If the company doesn’t store your information securely, it leaves itself open to the possibility that hackers may get access to it and use it to commit fraud or sell it on the dark web.
7. Facebook Messenger Scams
If you want to protect yourself from common scams that occur on Facebook Messenger, it is essential to be aware of the many methods that are used.
Facebook Messenger is often used by con artists to send users demands for money as well as false offers for loans or lottery entries. Even while these messages are presented in a number of different media, they always have a single characteristic: they use our wishes or aspirations to, among other things, seem charitable, heroic, or financially successful.
If you didn’t initiate the communication with the person who is now contacting you, whether they are a friend or a total stranger, you should talk to the person who started it. People have a tendency to trust direct messages that come from their acquaintances because of this connection.
The experts at Global Payback advise people to confirm who they are talking to through a different channel, particularly if the message is asking for assistance, money, or information or if it’s from a contact you haven’t interacted with directly before.
• Spam Messages
Given the recent rise in the practice of “cloning” social media accounts, it makes sense to be aware of the fact that it is possible for it to occur to you as well.
However, you shouldn’t blindly put your faith in your close friends. It has been claimed that a number of people who use Facebook have gotten the same message from a different friend, although the message in question is a hoax.
“Hi … You may want to check your account since I really got a friend request from you yesterday, but I decided to decline it. Your finger should be used to keep the message from moving until the forward button appears. Then, after selecting all of the people to whom you want to send the message, click the “forward” button. I have to deal with each individual in their own right. Have the best of luck!
While forwarding the mail won’t spread malware to other people’s computers, it will definitely flood the inboxes of everyone you know. Instead, do a search for other accounts that use your name and inquire about your close friends as to whether or not they have gotten any odd requests from you. If the notice is correct, you should report the phony profile; however, if it does not seem that there is any risk, you should dismiss the message.
8. Facebook Marketplace Scams
More than one billion people use Facebook Marketplace each month to buy and sell goods and services.
However, dishonest individuals are using this internet marketplace to their advantage in order to steal money from people who are not paying attention.
Fraudsters on Facebook Marketplace may encourage you to pay them outside of the platform or get you to engage with them in other ways in addition to offering false rents, giveaways, or other goods and services.
Lost money to online fraud? We will recover your funds !
How To Report a Facebook Scam?
Because they violate Facebook’s Community Standards, accounts and pages that mimic other users are not permitted on the social networking site.
If you come across a profile or page on Facebook that fraudulently claims to be you, someone you know, or a significant person, Facebook strongly urges you to report it to them (such as a politician or celebrity). You are able to report potentially fake accounts or Pages to Facebook even if you do not have a Facebook account.
Simply go to the scam page or the scammer’s profile on Facebook, click the three dots that appear on their profile, and then choose the report option from the drop-down menu that appears.
Key Takeaways!
Facebook scams come in many shapes and forms; if you want to ensure that you are protected against these dangerous scams, be aware of them beforehand.
Additionally, if you think you have been scammed on Facebook, reach out to the platform, or come and speak to the asset recovery experts here at Global Payback. We will help you recover your stolen information and assets.
