We provide an overview on the most popular scams that Facebook users are most likely to come across when using the social networking site.
We talk a lot on this site about the various scams you’ll likely come across on social media site Facebook, and that’s a lot of information to absorb. If you’re looking for an overview on the most popular scams on Facebook, then this is the page for you.
We’ve included links where appropriate for those looking for more information on a particular scam which have more information on what to look out for and how to avoid them.
If you’ve ever received a message either by email or by Facebook’s messaging service that appears to be from be from “Facebook Security” urging you to click a link, it’s probably a scam.
In fact, it’s a phishing scam that will try and lure you into clicking a link to a spoof website that is designed to bait you into entering your login information, which is then sent to the scammer.
You will most likely receive a threatening message, for example a message that claims your account will be disabled unless you verify your account details. This is a social engineering trick that is designed to alarm the recipient into complying.
You can read more information on this type of scam via our blog post here.
Most people will have seen a post appear on their newsfeed that says you can win something just for sharing, liking or commenting on a post. This is called like-farming, whereas the people who created the post (that has probably appeared on your newsfeed after being shared by a friend) are trying to lure you into interacting with the post using a fake competition.
However for many of these schemes, it doesn’t stop there. Many include a link that you apparently need to visit to “claim your prize”. However these links lead to spammy marketing webpages that try and convince you to give away your personal information to “third party companies”, which inevitably leads to spam, or worse, identity theft.
We give some advice on how to spot these scams in our blog post here.
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Social media has increasingly become one of the easier and more popular ways we get our breaking news, especially relating to the world of “celedom”. Because of the real-time, fast paced nature of sites like Twitter and Facebook, developing stories can appear in our news feeds (or trending sections) within minutes of it breaking.
Scammers take advantage of this, by planting fake stories into the mix, designed to draw curiosity from the viewer, and luring them into clicking a link – a link that can lead to any number of malicious websites that can attack you with malware, phishing or identity fraud.
Yes, sites like Facebook and Twitter can be good to hear about the latest news, but you still need to head to trusted places to get it. If the links you see are luring you into the dark, unknown corners of the web, either don’t click or get out of there fast!
This starts off with a simple friend request from someone you are already friends with on Facebook. The name and profile picture are the same as your friend, so you may feel obliged or safe in accepting the request.
However this account may be a clone. While some users may have legitimate reasons to start using another account, it is important you find out if the account sending the friend request is real before accepting the request. Remember, it may be an imposter pretending to be your friend.
The end game to Facebook cloning can vary. The scammers are trying to get “inside” your network of friends, where they can see the information you choose to share. They can then use the imposter account to trick you into any number of scams, including giving away money by disguising themselves as your friend.
We discuss Facebook cloning in more detail in this post here.
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