How to Avoid Scams on Facebook

Facebook, with its more than 3 billion users, is a prime target for scammers looking to trick people into sending money or sharing sensitive information. Although its parent company, Meta, has invested more than $8 billion since 2019 into overhauling its privacy program, scams still persist in various forms on the social media website.

Understanding these scams and knowing how to protect yourself can help reduce your risk of becoming a victim. Here’s what to know about the most common Facebook scams and how to avoid them.

Facebook phishing scams

Scammers send emails that appear to come from Facebook’s security team or messages that appear to come from Facebook Messenger with warnings that your account has been compromised or that you violated the site’s community standards or other policies. Then, they prompt you to make a payment or click a link to provide your account login credentials, which they steal to hijack your account and use it for malicious activity.

How to avoid Facebook phishing scams:

• Don’t click on links in messages, even if they appear to come from Facebook.
• Check the email address sending you the message. According to Facebook, you can trust that it is legitimate if it comes from fb.com, facebook.com, facebookmail.com, instagram.com, meta.com, metamail.com or support.facebook.com. Be on the lookout for misspelled versions of the email addresses, which indicate a scammer sent the message.
• Confirm that Facebook emailed you by going to facebook.com/recent_emails/security.

[ See: Don’t Fall for Facebook Account Recovery Scams **_

Facebook Marketplace scams

Scammers post items for sale on Facebook Marketplace, often at prices that are too good to be true. They ask for upfront payments through untraceable methods, such as wire transfers or gift cards, then either send shoddy products or nothing at all. In some cases, scammers pose as buyers, offer to pay above the asking price, then ask the seller to refund the difference after sending a fake check.

How to avoid Facebook Marketplace scams:

• Meet buyers or sellers in person in a safe, public place if possible.
• Don’t make or accept unusual forms of payment, such as gift cards. Use secure payment methods, such as credit cards for added fraud protections.
• Be wary of anyone who refuses to provide additional photos or details about an item.
• Avoid buyers who offer to pay more than the asking price or claim they accidentally overpaid and are due a refund.
• Beware of fake messages or emails that appear to be from payments apps such as Zelle or Venmo asking you to upgrade your account or pay a fee before you can accept a payment.

[ Read: Watch Out for Facebook Marketplace Scams **_

Romance scams

Scammers often create fake profiles using stolen photos on Facebook to send friend requests and build trust. They use flattery and say all the right things to win victims’ affection then escalate the relationship quickly. Once scammers have gained their victims’ trust, they ask for money for a financial or medical crisis, to help pay for them to visit or to invest in cryptocurrency.

How to avoid romance scams:

• Be cautious when accepting friend requests from people you don’t know.
• Verify the person’s identity by doing a reverse image search to see if the image on the account is associated with more than one name or person.
• Never send money or share personal details with someone you’ve never met in real life.

[ Learn: How to Spot and Avoid Romance Scams **_

Fake charity scams

Bad actors use social media sites to take advantage of people’s goodwill around the holidays or when disasters strike. On Facebook, they promote fake charities, request donations to crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter and even use artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate celebrities to solicit donations. Some will even send direct messages through Facebook with emotional stories to convince victims to send money.

How to avoid fake charity scams:

• Don’t give into demands to give money right away. Ask for materials about the organization and to be given time to do your own research.
• Research organizations before donating by checking to see if they are registered with your state charity regulator and reviewing their ratings at organizations such as Charity Navigator.
• Don’t respond to social media or crowdfunding requests for donations unless you know the campaign organizer or people receiving the funds.
• Do not make donations by cash, wire transfer, gift cards or with cryptocurrency. Donate by check or credit card so you have a record of your payment.

Fake deal scams

Ads and posts for retailers offering deeply discounted goods appear on Facebook and other social media sites. Often, the ads link to fake retail sites or to sites with low-quality or counterfeit goods. The aim of the sites is to steal money and personal information from shoppers.

How to avoid fake deal scams:

• Never click on links in ads on social media sites. Go directly to a retailer’s site to see if you can find the deal that is being advertised.
• When shopping online, stick to retailers you know and trust. If you see a deal advertised for a retailer you’re not familiar with, search the name of the retailer and the word “reviews,” “complaints” or “scam.”
• Pay with a credit card rather than a debit card to get more fraud protections when making purchases online.

Fake giveaways

Scammers use stolen profile pictures and AI-generated photos of celebrities and social media influencers to create fake Facebook accounts and post offers for fake prizes. The posts offer chances to win gift cards, cash or other prizes. Users who comment on the posts or respond to direct messages about winning prizes are asked to provide personal information to verify their identity or pay a fee to collect their winnings, according to Facebook’s Help Center. After you pay or provide information, the scammer disappears, and you never receive your "prize."

How to avoid fake giveaways:

• If you didn’t enter a contest, it’s safe to assume you didn’t win.
• Never pay a fee to collect winnings or share sensitive personal information. Legitimate sweepstakes don’t request upfront fees and won’t require you to provide banking, financial or personal information such as a Social Security number to claim a prize.
• Report suspicious accounts to Facebook and block any scammers offering prizes.

Funeral service streaming scams

Scammers create Facebook groups in memory of people who have recently died and provide links to websites to watch livestreams of their funerals. They also create Facebook groups to take advantage of people looking for livestreams of other events, such as weddings, concerts, graduations and awards ceremonies. If you click on the links to watch the events and enter your credit card information, you’ll be handing your information over to scammers and won’t be connected to the event.

How to avoid livestream scams:

• Don’t click on links on Facebook for livestream events. Check the website of the funeral home that is handling the arrangements or the obituary in the local newspaper to get funeral service details.
• Don’t respond to invites on Facebook to join groups for funeral livestreams. Contact the person’s family members to find out if a Facebook group has been created.
• Don’t provide payment information to register for a funeral or other livestream. Check with the funeral home or family of the deceased to determine whether you’ve logged onto the correct website.

Tips to protect yourself on Facebook

In addition to taking the steps above to avoid scams on Facebook, use these strategies to stay safe.

• Be cautious about sharing personal information: Limit the amount of personal data you share on your profile. Scammers often use details like your location, friends, or interests to create more convincing attacks.
• Use privacy settings: Adjust your Facebook privacy settings to limit who can see your posts, profile, and friend list.
• Report and block suspicious accounts: If you encounter any scams, report the account or post to Facebook and block the user to prevent further contact. If you believe that someone has gained unauthorized access to your account, the Carefull financial safety service has a Hack Recovery tool that can walk you through the steps to take to limit the damage.