FACEBOOK has a warning on its support page about messages that are signs of scams.
It has highlighted nine phrases to watch out for in your inbox.
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Facebook began by stating: “Scammers who try to trick people into sharing personal information, passwords or credit card numbers typically do so via fraudulent emails, messages or websites that might appear legitimate, such as a bank, email provider or social media platform.”
It then went on to list warning signs that should raise alarm bells.
The first was “people who you don’t know or famous people asking for money.”
Any message asking you for money should make you cautious.
Make sure you know the person and know why the money is being asked for.
If it’s a loved one, try contacting them via a different method to confirm whether their account has been hacked.
Secondly, Facebook said to watch out for people “asking you for advance fees to receive a loan, prize or other winnings.”
If an offer seems too good to be true, it likely is.
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Cybersecurity experts advised against paying to receive a prize as this is a common way for scammers to run off with your money and leave you with nothing.
Next on Facebook’s list was “people claiming to be a friend or relative in an emergency.”
Cybercriminals try and hack accounts so they can manipulate friends and family into giving money to someone they trust.
Always think twice before transferring money and make sure you have the full picture and have spoken in person to your loved one.
Next, Facebook said to be wary of “people asking you to move your conversation off Facebook.”
Facebook can protect you from certain hacking behaviors but you may be more vulnerable somewhere else.
It’s best to never trust strangers online who randomly contact you.
Number five on the danger list was “people claiming to want a romantic connection with you quickly and then asking for money.”
Romance scams are common and scammers sent out mass phishing emails and direct messages in the hope of hooking lonely victims.
Next, Facebook said not to trust “messages or posts with poor spelling and grammatical errors.”
This is a good way to tell if a cybercriminal pretending to be from a legitimate brand.
Big brands proofread and are very unlikely to send you a message containing errors.
Facebook also said not to trust “a message asking for your urgent response because something is wrong with your online account.”
Scammers like to add time pressure so that victims act without thinking.
Always take your time to decide how to respond, especially if you’re being asked to send money.
The tech giant then said not to trust a message “that simply asks you to log in with your social media, email address or bank account to read an important message about the services that you use online.”
Scammers can steal your login details this way and may be able to hack your other accounts.
Finally, Facebook said don’t trust “accounts that have no friends, profile photo or real-looking activity on Facebook.”
They’re all signs that you’re not talking to a legitimate person and that a scammer is trying to trick you.
Facebook added: “If you see something on Facebook that you think is a scam, please report it to us.”
