A social-media platform is any internet-based platform that allows users to interact, create, share or exchange information with others. Common social-media platforms include TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, BeReal and even certain gaming communities, such as Roblox and Minecraft.
Consumers use social-media platforms to connect with friends and family, get their news, follow celebrities, and buy and sell online.
Unfortunately, scammers also insert themselves into all aspects of social-media interaction. Here are some social-media scams to guard against:
- Facebook messenger scams: Scammers often use Facebook Messenger to send users requests for money or fake offers for loans or lotteries. If you do not know the person messaging you, ignore the message. If you recognize the person making the request, do not respond to the person via Facebook Messenger. Instead, contact that person using a method you know to be his/her direct contact information, such as a phone number or an email address, to confirm whether the request is legitimate.
- Fundraiser scams: After a major tragedy such as a mass shooting or natural disaster, it’s common to see ads and posts from charities offering to aid victims. Some of these offers, however, might be scams. Bad actors falsely represent a charity or even use sound-alike names for their organizations. Before you donate to a charity, you should conduct an independent web search outside of the post. Be cautious about donating to newly created charities over those with a track record of dealing with disasters or community needs.
- Romance scams: Think twice before accepting friend requests from people you don’t know. Accepting a friend request from a stranger can lead to a potential romance scam. The interactions might start innocently, perhaps with an offer of friendship or the trading of personal stories. If your new “friend” starts asking you for money or other gifts, though, it is likely a scam. Some scammers invest significant time in developing a romance to gain your trust and secure financial payments under false pretenses.
- Job scams: The adage “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is” applies to job scams. Scammers know that increasing numbers of people prefer to work from home. Some attempt to persuade you to apply for a job and turn over identifiable personal information by offering a job with a vague description and a too-good-to-be-true salary. To learn more about job scams, click here.
- Online marketplace scams: With millions of people using online social-media platforms to buy and sell goods, plenty of scammers work to take advantage of first-time or infrequent online shoppers. One telltale sign of a scam: The seller asks you to pay or communicate with him/her outside of the platform. Also, look for potential scams when a sale seems too extreme (for example, when the price of a popular product is drastically marked down) or when a very hard-to-find item is suddenly available through an unfamiliar site or a store based on social media.
The Federal Trade Commission suggests the following ways to steer clear of scams on social media:
- Limit who can see your posts and information on social media. All platforms collect information about you from your social-media activities; visit your privacy settings to set restrictions.
- If you get a message from a friend about an opportunity or an urgent need for money, call the friend. The friend’s account may have been hacked. Note that scammers often ask for payment by cryptocurrency, gift card or wire transfer.
- If someone appears on your social-media platform and rushes into a friendship or romance, slow down. Learn more about romance scams. And never send money to someone you haven’t met in person.
- Before you buy, check out the company. Search online for the company name and terms such as “scam” and “complaint.”
Consumers who believe they have been defrauded should immediately report the details and contact the company they used to make the payment. Ohioans can report scams to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or by calling 800-282-0515.