4 Facebook Scams You Should Know About
Most of us spend a surprising amount of time on Facebook. We love posting about the exciting things taking place in our lives, we enjoy looking at the photos loved ones share, and we often treat it like an interesting party line that provides a legal way to spy on the lives of others. We seldom stop and think about how dangerous Facebook can be, even though we routinely hear about friends whose accounts have been hacked or who have encountered a Facebook scam.
While you don’t have to completely stop using Facebook, you’ll get more out of the social media giant if you are aware of the most popular Facebook scams and know how to identify and avoid them.
Phishing
Phishing on Facebook is just like other forms of internet phishing, it just takes place on Facebook. The way it works is someone creates a fictitious Facebook account that suggests they offer a service or own a business. When you express interest in the business/service, the mastermind behind the account steals a great deal of your information, including your Facebook password, and uses it for personal gain.
The best way to spot a Facebook phishing scheme is by looking at the website you are directed to. If the URL has anything other than facebook.com on it, it’s a scam and you need to exit it and clear your browsing history right away.
Counterfeit Products Promoted on Facebook Marketplace
Facebook marketplace has become a popular place for people who have cheap products to make a quick buck by promoting them as if the product was name brand or high quality. The best way to avoid falling into this trap is to study the pictures closely and read the seller’s reviews. If the product looks suspicious or there are many bad reviews, move away from that seller and look for something else to purchase.
Bogus Job Scams
Even though Facebook isn’t the first place most people look when they’re hunting for a new job, there are some legit job opportunities posted on the social media site. The problem is that there are also some surprisingly convincing bogus job scams available on Facebook.
The purpose of the bogus job scams is the same as other scams, the person behind the scam wants to extract specific information from you that they can use for their own gain. The best way to protect yourself from a bogus job scam found on Facebook is to never give away any personal information, change your password each time you message the person responsible for the job listing, and carefully research the company that allegedly posted the job.
The Scam Involving Gift Cards
The general rule of thumb is that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That’s certainly the case with many of the gift card offers floating around Facebook. One of the reasons so many people are conned by fake gift card scams is that the person behind the scam hacks an account and makes it appear like the offer is coming from a loved one. And the wording is both persuasive and authentic.
The scam is twofold. Since you’re asked to click a link and provide information about yourself, the person behind the scam collects information from you that they can use to help steal your identity. They also ask you to share the post, making it possible for them to connect with your Facebook friends so they can run the gift card scam on other people.
The best way to avoid getting drawn in by a Facebook scam is to limit your social media actions to dealing with people you know well and always confirm their identity before clicking on any links or secondary accounts.
Top Internet Scams
Shortly after the internet was created, the internet scam was born. It’s amazing the number of different ways the internet has been used to scam different people. It seems like every single year, a new scam hits the virtual world and people start falling for it. While new internet scams are interesting and you should stay on top of the newest scam trends so you can identify the early warning signs, some have withstood the test of time.
Here are the top internet scams of all time.
Email Phishing
Email phishing is a type of internet scam that’s nearly as old as email itself.
Email phishing is a type of scam that involves a con artist sending out emails that look like they come from a legit organization or person. The main purpose of these types of emails is to collect personal information, particularly credit card numbers, which the scammer then uses for their benefit.
One of the most famous email phishing scams is the pseudo-Nigerian prince who used to send out emails asking for donations.
Tech Support Scams
Tech support scams are becoming increasingly common. This type of internet scam works because we’ve grown so accustomed to using virtual tech support options. The difference is that the virtual support you’ve sought out is usually legit. The tech support scams never are.
The way tech support scams work is that someone either calls or emails you. They claim to be from a major computer system company, security company, or common tech store. They then launch into a spiel about how they believe you’re computer is infected. Not only does the malware infection negatively impact your computer’s performance, but the tech support con artist will also explain how it could compromise your identity and steal credit card information.
The problem is that your computer isn’t currently infected. The con artist plans to place some malware on it that will allow them to collect your sensitive data. They do this in a manner that’s both easy to fall for and hard to trace.
Social Media Fraud
Social media fraud is an internet scam that doesn’t get quite as much attention as it should. The idea behind social media scams s that someone will connect with you via a social media channel. They often do this by posing as your friend. They can do this because they create a mirror account that not only uses your friend’s name but also their profile picture. They will usually send a private message that starts as a friendly conversation but quickly turns into a desperate plea for money.
The two best ways to make sure you don’t fall victim to a social media scam are contacting your friend directly and asking the scammer specific questions. If they don’t provide you with the type of answer you’d expect from your friend, report the fake account.