Facebook Scam to Watch Out in 2019
Posted by : Admin
Facebook is a perfect place for fraudsters, scammers and deceivers of all kinds. Why? Because, you can’t see the face of your interlocutor. That way you have no idea whether the intentions of your new friend are genuine. Besides, you can’t even run away in case of emergency, or call your pal to bail you out from a situation. And even if you are offline and delete your account/block the person, it might be too late to save your data or money. So let’s see what online dating scam you can catch on Facebook, how to spot it, avoid it, fight it or report it.
WHY IS FACEBOOK A PERFECT APP FOR SCAMMERS?
It uses loads of personal data which users pass to Internet domains without any clue. Only 26% of Facebook users check whether there is a person, using their name or photo. The number one threat is data breaches, which happens a lot through email scams and dating scam.
Users open Facebook every day to check their high school friends, reconnect long-lost relatives, scroll news and for business inquiries. This way, users are exposed to thieves who may steal their media personality. Some people are easily led on to a simple Facebook friend request scam, where a thief would ask for a simple request, like a survey. They can also pretend to be a friend of your friend (which is easily googled). Based on a wide variety of social sources and often an open account, they can really hit it off as a person who really knows your relatives. Others might go even further and share a sobby story about a disaster/tragic even in their life, and ask for some money donations.
Even your home address can do a lot for a cyber-thief to steal your account, identity, or credit card. A smart hacker can find out your phone number, create a duplicate of your SIM-card, disable yours and enter your online bank, using your number only.
TYPES OF FACEBOOK SCAM YOU SHOULD AVOID
Hackers always come up with new Facebook scam. Sometimes their plots are so sophisticated, you can’t really spot a thief. Scam on Facebook generally falls into three categories: live scammers, clickbait adds and scammer malware apps.
Facebook sellers
Beware of people who message you, offering products, food or clothes. Scammers love presenting themselves as a wide market representative with bought comments and license. Not only do you risk to buy a low-quality product, you can simply lose money and be left with nothing. Yes, some people manage to send money before they get the product. Guess what happens? They got blocked and since all the names are obviously fake, there is no chance of tracking down the scammer. Sometimes a scammer, especially who “provides” home treatment, like manicure or haircuts, can ask for the number of your close friends or family. You know what happens next? As nothing happens and there is no address where someone would provide home treatment, now that scammers have your closest people phones, they can call them and say that you are…stolen. And ask for a ransom. It’s crazy, right?
“See who blocked you” app
When you see such an app on Play Market, never download it. It’s most likely Facebook hack scam. Sometimes it contains a virus, which reads your private data. Some apps capture or film your passwords, so beware.
“I lost so much weight with…”
Kim Kardashian’s favorite power drink. No, seriously. It’s magic. Usually, this falls into the category of virus adds. When you click on this banner, it redirects you to a porn site, or secretly downloading software into your computer.
Foreign friend
Beware of people from far away who try to hit on you. While they may seem sweet and nice, they often might ask for some documents to fly closer to you. Sometimes they have random names and made-up biography. Always check people on Google before adding them to your friend list.
Ponzi schemes
“I will introduce you to our high-quality product, which you get for free, but you have to bring two friends and persuade people to use our stuff.” Online-marketing is a religious cult in a nutshell, with their leaders and fake revenues. Don’t buy that!
IS FACEBOOK ON FIRE A SCAM?
It’s the latest Facebook scam. Facebook on fire is supposed to spawn money. Supposedly, you can get up to $ 1,000 in a day, using loopholes. But how exactly it gets you money, no one knows. The app is paid, so as the bank account you create a deposit in. The owner is a guru in business and social media, which is a sketchy combination. But what investigators found out, Joseph Magnum is a made-up name, and his photos are stock image. First and foremost, Facebook didn’t give any license to this guy to work under their name. Second of all, there is no evidence of money doubling. Thirdly, people on the site have fake testimonials, so as their names and stock images. Verdict – every app that makes money from thin air is just scamming and deceiving poor users. Don’t use sketchy apps with loud claims!
HOW TO REPORT A SCAM ON FACEBOOK
Use “Something’s wrong” button. If you receive an email on Google from @FB.com domain, report this message and never click any links! If you catch a person harassing, threatening or calling you, using your data you never gave anyone, report to police or call 911. Never accept strangers’ terms, don’t try to talk it out or beg to leave your relatives. Scammers ARE NOT NICE GUYS!
When it comes to earning money on the Internet, never buy that offer. The chance of losing money is close to 100%. No Facebook developers would work on any apps that would involve finance and commercialism.
All in all, Facebook is a relatively safe space, but all depends on how wisely you use it. If you are a reasonable user, more or less free in using Internet, you won’t talk to strangers, accept sketchy offer and click any random links. Appreciate your private data and spread scamming achtung awareness. If you or your friends are caught in a Facebook Ponzi scheme, block those people immediately and never give them your phone, credit card number, or other information. When you see that someone has your password and sends bad messages to your environment, report to Facebook that your profile is hacked. Change all the passwords, not only to your Google and Facebook account, but to all the credit cards as well! Be wise and think twice before clicking to another stupid add!