Know About Popular Facebook Scams
Americans use social media websites like Facebook for multiple purposes, including interacting with distant friends and family, reconnecting with old relatives, checking out the news, and advancing their lifestyle, hobbies, careers, and interests. In doing so, many Facebook users leave themselves vulnerable to identity thefts, primarily by “oversharing” personal data that I.D. scammers can use to steal their personal information. Even information as simple as your home address can be enough for a cyber-thief to track your online identity. But don’t worry, we have created this blog to help you become aware of such Facebook scams run by these scammers.
Duplicating Accounts
One method that scammers use to trick those on Facebook is by imitating Facebook’s email template, which makes targeted users think that they have received an official message. Once you enter the credentials, the hackers can access your account, hold it for ransom, or ask your friends for money or information.
Identity Theft
Facebook accounts can be used to crack other application passwords. If your account has been accessed, your Facebook account can be used to determine the answers to other knowledge-based authentication questions. That helps to authenticate the account owner’s identity. You can use Multi-factor authentication on all of your accounts to prevent this.
Viral Videos
People spread many viral videos on social media pages, especially if they are shocking, racy, or scandalous. These videos are irresistible to most of us, and hence they are also an excellent bait for scammers. When you click on these types of videos, you will be asked to update an application, and, when you do, it will download and install a malicious program onto your machine.
Give me money, and I will return even more:
After accessing your friend’s account, scammers are using their account to get you to pay them with the assurance of returning much more. Your friend will tell you a “scheme” where they paid an amount, received a massive return, and recommended you do it.
Burglary
Criminals use Facebook to determine if a victim is at home or not. Publicly sharing information about vacations, events, and location check-ins are precisely what burglars are looking for.
Free Coupons
This scam is very old and still a very famous trick used by scammers. People are promised free coupons and cards at large retailers worth more than hundreds of dollars, or vouchers for a free vacation. However, scammers create a malicious link and send it to the target. The target only needs to put their Facebook account and credit card details on the website, which allows the scammer to get access to their Facebook account and credit card.
Contest Scams
This is another common scam. It is as simple as setting up a fake brand page on Facebook, marketing it with a great contest campaign, and collecting data from everyone that joined. Targets are asked to put their necessary information such as date of birth, full name, or a friend’s name to access their account for further use.
Love Scams
The good-looking deployed American serviceman or woman or an attractive lonely foreigner hoping to get back to America or their home country are common themes used to find unwitting targets. Many people feel alone and become a target in a social media affair, and are asked for money to get “back to America” or travel there with promises of seeing their “spouse or loved one”. Once the amount is transferred, and the distant lover disappears.
