BBB Scam Alert: Don’t let boredom fool you into thinking that’s your friend on Facebook

Milwaukee, Wis. – Plenty of people who are connected to the internet are catching up with friends on social media or randomly surfing the web. Unfortunately, so are scammers. They are taking advantage of social networking sites, earning victims’ trust by pretending to be someone they already know and send out a message or two with COVID-19 vaccine news, a fundraising request or perhaps a great deal on a product.

How the Scam Works

While scrolling through Facebook, a message pops up in Facebook Messenger. It’s your friend, family member, or neighbor. At least it “looks” like them because the profile picture matches. From here, the conversation goes one of two ways. In one version, your “friend” tells you about where to find a vaccine or the most awesome deal they found on masks or other products. All you must do is select a link, share the good news or simply respond the message. In some cases, perhaps you want to take part in the offer and are ready to pay a processing fee and tax. Stop and think: would your real friend pass along this type of information?

In another version, the “friend” claims to be raising money for a charity to support emergency personnel, a food bank or some other organization that has really been hit hard by the pandemic. They’ll push for a donation and yet, it sounds suspicious. But the message appears to be coming from someone you know and trust. Or is it?

A third version is circulating where the “friend” believes their account has been ‘hacked’ and to friend them on a new request. Turns out, they were not hacked at all. The profile is publicly visible and copied by a cyber thief who then creates a new profile and is now sending out new friend requests to a bogus account that looks like your friend.

BBB warns everyone before responding to such a request, check that the Facebook profile image is from who it says it is. Or, go the extra step and call, text, or email the friend to see if they really did send it to you.

How to Protect Yourself from Facebook Scams

• Be wary of online messages. A person may be trustworthy in real life, but online accounts can be hacked, and sometimes friends share things without checking them out first. Take a closer look before sharing, applying, or donating. Go to Give.org to verify a charity.
• Do some research. Go to BBB.org/scamtracker to see if the online website that is selling masks (or whatever product the friend is mentioning) is truly legitimate. If you can’t find a website, it’s most likely a fake. If you can find a website, look for contact information (no contact info is a red flag).
• Press for details. Ask strategic questions without giving any personal information to confirm you are actually talking to someone you know.  If your “friend” can’t give you straight answers, leave the conversation, block them and then change your Facebook settings as well as your password.
• Report suspicious activity to Facebook. You can report scammers to Facebook to help protect your real friends and family from a scam., and you can also report impersonations. You can reduce the risk of having your profile impersonated by tightening up your privacy settings and hiding your Friends list. Do a “Privacy Checkup” by clicking on the question mark at the top of your Facebook home page.

For other Facebook-related warnings, see BBB’s articles on sharing your vaccine card, sharing your senior photo, and taking Facebook quizzes.

For More Information

To learn more about avoiding scams, read BBB’s article 10 Steps to Avoid Scams. To learn about online charity fundraising, check out these tips on Give.org. Also, see Give.org’s Giving Guidance & Tips.

Report your experience on BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your experience can help others to spot a scam.

Additional information can be found at BBB.org/coronavirus

For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 220 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.