They are always coming up with new ways to steal from unsuspecting social media users. Most Common Facebook Scams TodayĬybercriminals are an innovative bunch. So, how can you avoid becoming a statistic? It starts by knowing what the most common scams are - and the steps you can take to avoid them. Federal Trade Commission, financial losses from social media scams exceed hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Even if only a fraction of fraud attempts work, that’s a pretty big payday for any scammer.Īccording to the U.S. With so many active users, fraudsters have a vast pool of potential victims at their fingertips. The site’s popularity makes it ripe for cybercriminals. Each month, more than 2.8 billion users log in to catch up with friends, share information, get their news, and even shop. Read on to learn more about how these scams work, and things you can do right now to avoid becoming a victim.įacebook is the world’s most popular social media platform. Charity pleas – creating fake charities to get donations during times of disaster.Friend requests – either from people you don’t know or people you’re already friends with (cloned accounts).Quizzes and games – designed to ellicit personal information in the answers, then hacking accounts with it.Shopping – selling counterfeit goods under a faux brand account or selling nothing at all using fake accounts.

Prizes or job offers – claims designed to obtain personal information or money from the victim.Romance – friend requests and direct messages that attempt to create a romantic interest with the goal to steal money from the victim.Phishing – emails or direct messages with sketchy links that download malware or capture login credentials on spoofed websites.Here are some of the most common ways they try. Facebook is the most popular social media app in the world, and scammers flock to it to fleece unsuspecting users.

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