Scams on Facebook happen when people create fake accounts or hack into existing Facebook accounts or Pages you’ve liked.
The scammers use these fake or compromised accounts to trick you into giving them money or personal information.
If you’ve received a message that you believe is a scam, you should avoid responding and report the message to Facebook.
Here are some common scams to watch out for:
- Romance scams: Romance scammers typically send romantic messages to people they don’t know, often pretending to be divorced, widowed or in a bad marriage at times even claiming to be single parents. A typical job description for such scammers is claiming to work in the military. They’ll engage in online relationships in hopes of receiving money for flights, medical bills for kids or visas. Their goal is to gain your trust so the conversations may continue for weeks before they ask for money.
- Lottery scams: Lottery scams are often carried out from accounts or Pages impersonating someone you know or an organization (such as a government agency or Facebook). The messages will claim that you’re among the winners of a lottery and that you can receive your money for a small advance fee. The scammer may ask you to provide personal information, such as your physical address or bank details. Always be careful to divulge any sensitive information.
- Loan scams: Loan scammers send messages and leave posts offering instant loans at a low-interest rate for a small advance fee.
- Access Token Theft: A link is shared with you that requests access to your Facebook account or Page. The link may look like it came from a legitimate app, but instead, it is a way that spammers can gain access to your account and spread spam.
To protect yourself from scams, here are some general tips to keep in mind:
- People asking you for money who you don’t know in person
- People asking you for advance fees to receive a loan, prize or other winnings
- People asking you to move your conversation off Facebook (such as a separate email)
- People claiming to be a friend or relative in an emergency
- Messages or posts with poor spelling and grammatical mistakes
- Pages representing large companies, organizations or public figures that are not verified. Usually, pages on Facebook that are verified usually have a tick.
- People or accounts directing you to a Page to claim a prize
- People messaging you from a country that doesn’t match what they’ve told you about themselves
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