I often worry about my family members being taken advantage of on Facebook. Sure, it's a nice tool for staying in touch with friends and family, but that's about where the good ends.

Since social media began terrorizing the world, scammers have come a long way. Since the inception of MySpace in 2003, they have been busy. Whenever a new method of stopping them is developed, scammers immediately find another way to take advantage of social media users.

Even people who think they are being cautious are in danger of being hacked or scammed out of thousands of dollars. A story recently emerged about an influencer named Macy Blackwell who was scammed out of $5,000 because she thought she was buying tickets to the sold-out Morgan Wallen "Sand In My Boots" festival. 

It's essential to alert your eyes, ears, and fingers to a potential scam.

I just had an experience with one of my close companions that could have been life-altering if we had not been aware that Facebook could be shady. It could have cost thousands of dollars.

The scam goes like this...

This person sells a particular item and has their contact information on Facebook. The scammer found the contact information and emailed for a large order. Once the order was accepted, they said they would send a check via email and have a driver pick up the goods in Casper in a couple of weeks.

Their instructions were to print the check and immediately deposit it through their bank's app. When the transaction was finished, they were supposed to send a screenshot of the completed deposit.

That's where things were halted.

My Spidey senses went off when they told me about the order, and then when I was told about the deposit situation, I knew something was amiss. We decided to take a step back and research the situation in more detail, and it's a good thing we did.

One of the good things about Facebook is that you can search for almost anyone's name and get a hit, especially if they say they found the business contact information through Facebook.

Upon further review, neither of the names popped up as living or working in the area they claimed to in the series of emails. Our next step was to research the bank the check was from, and sure enough, the back wasn't located in the city or state that they claimed they were in.

To take our investigation one step further, we called and talked with the business the scammers claimed they worked at, and lo and behold, they had no idea about the transaction or order, and they had never heard the names of the scammers.

Thankfully, we had faith in our Spidey senses, and things worked out. We've been working with the company to bring these scammers to justice.

Remember these words of wisdom:

  • If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
  • Your favorite celebrity isn't going to ask YOU to give them money because they're in trouble.
  • If something seems off, being smart and researching is always good. A quick Google or social media search is worth it.

These are suggestions that ZEROFOX issues way back in 2014, they stand true today.

Dirty New Facebook Scammers Are Picking On Wyomingites
ZeroFox.com
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Facebook scams, fake accounts, and fraud are a reality, be careful.

LOOK: The biggest scams today and how you can protect yourself from them

Using data from the BBB Scam Tracker Annual Risk Report, Stacker identified the most common and costly types of scams in 2022.

Expert Tips for Avoiding Online Shopping Scams

In order to avoid a scammer getting the better of you, check out the following red flags to look out for as well as preventative measures to take from Dr. Skiba, AKA Dr. Fraud himself:

Gallery Credit: Maria Danise

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