A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

January 26, 2023

FACEBOOK MESSENGER, INSTAGRAM SCAMS

Attribution, AARP

Messaging on Facebook and Instagram is a great way to keep up with friends and family. But it can be a method for scammers to defraud you.

Keep up your guard

Although the pitch may vary, always be suspicious when someone you know or think you know asks for something, often with a sense of urgency.

Scammers may impersonate a family member to avoid the appearance of fraud. They may fake a reason to need money, such as being in an accident.

To avoid being tracked, scammers may try to get you to leave Facebook Messenger. They may request that you continue the conversation over email or phone.

Avoiding impostors

You don’t have to delete Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites or unplug your computer to stay safe. Being aware of these scams and other related fraudulent attempts is the first step.

Although the pitch may vary, always be suspicious when someone you know or think you know asks for something, often with a sense of urgency. You may find that swindlers will try to get you to leave Facebook Messenger, to avoid being tracked, and request that you continue the conversation over email or phone.

You don’t have to delete Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites or unplug your computer to stay safe. Being aware of these scams and other related fraudulent attempts is half the battle.

Tips for avoiding online deception:

1. Never accept an invitation from someone you don’t recognize — or, worse, from just “Facebook User” — without a photo.

2. Be suspicious of messages on Facebook Messenger or Instagram, especially when they veer into areas where you are directed to take action or divulge personal information. If you aren’t sure who’s doing the typing, contact your real friend in another fashion (a phone call, email or text message) to confirm he or she sent the information. Chances are good that an unusual message is fake.

3. Block the person who sent you the message, and report the incident to Facebook right away from within Messenger.

4. Use common sense. Never pay for something that you know, or are being told, is free. If you must pay to receive a grant, a gift or anything similar, it’s a scam. Fake lotteries, loans and requests for charitable donations are other pitches you may receive from your “friends.”

5. Watch out for distress schemes or grandparent scams. If you receive a message that appears to be from a relative saying a loved one urgently needs money it is a scam.

6. Be suspicious of attachments, whether they are sent over Facebook Messenger or in an email or text. They may contain malware. Be equally cautious with links to a website. If you accidentally click and land on a page that is supposed to look like Facebook — it may have a similar blue logo and familiar layout — you’ll see that the name of the website in the link at the top of the page is different.

7. Don’t think you can spot scams because of misspellings, awkward phrasing or bad grammar. Some friend requests are from artificial intelligence bots, which can be difficult to detect.

8. Change your password often. Many of us are guilty of not regularly changing passwords or of using the same password for most or all online activity. While it’s less convenient, also enable two-factor authentication. That way, you’ll need not only your password to log in to Facebook or Instagram but also a onetime code sent to your mobile device to confirm that it’s really you.

7. Don’t think you can spot scams because of misspellings, awkward phrasing or bad grammar. Some “friend requests” are from artificial intelligence bots, which can be difficult to detect.

8. You can enable automatic updates so the operating systems on your desktop, laptop, smartphone and tablet that are updated whenever software patches to vulnerabilities are released. On a related note, be sure to use software to protect against computer viruses and keep it up to date. 

More information is available at http://www.AARP.ORG. 

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