Don’t believe everything you see on Facebook hor! It could be a scam…

Yesterday, I was having lunch with my colleague Benny when he showed me this on his Facebook app:

I took a look and said, “Bro, looks like scam leh. Got so many grammar mistakes, and the design like anyhow do one. Better be careful ah!’

Recently, got many scams on Facebook. Remember, just because it’s on Facebook doesn’t mean it’s true hor! There are many scammers out there making use of the platform to try and cheat your money. Here are some of the common Facebook scams to look out for and how to avoid being conned by these unscrupulous people!

Free stuff not always good stuff

Like the fake SIA post above, a common scam tactic is to entice Facebook users with free giveaways, like this “Courts” ad giving away a free PS5:

There are a few ways to tell if this is a fake ad. Look out for a blue tick beside the account name, which indicates that it is a verified authentic business account. For instance, this one from OCBC:

Other tell-tale signs are poorly written copy with bad grammar, shoddy graphics and suspicious-looking URLs. Clicking on these ads typically redirects you to an external site that collects your personal data.

Remember, nothing comes free in this world. Don’t anyhow give away your personal information hor, especially your bank account details and passwords!

Hi Friend! Long time no see…

Another common scam is to impersonate people that you know on Facebook, either by hacking into their accounts or creating fake profiles using their photos. In the first half of 2020, the Singapore Police Force reported at least S$2.7 million lost to these types of scams!

Scammers would pretend to help victims sign up for fake contests or promotions on Grab, Lazada or Shopee. They would then be tricked into giving away personal information like their mobile number, internet banking account details, and one-time passwords – only to discover later that unauthorised transactions had been made from their bank accounts and mobile wallets. 

Be very careful about the people you interact with on Facebook, even if they may seem to be someone you know personally. If something about the conversation seems off, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Not sure if you’re talking to a real person? Just make a quick phone call to check lah!

Even Facebook can be impersonated, hor!

There’s a recent scam going around where fake accounts promote an “upgraded” version of Facebook Messenger with “features” like being able to see who has visited your profile, recovering deleted messages and a premium “Gold Messenger" tier. 

These fake accounts used the official Messenger logo as their profile photo to seem legit, which would lead victims to scam sites that mimicked official Facebook login pages. Once they were tricked into entering their login data, the scammers would then take control of their Facebook accounts. Some users were even tricked to “upgrade" with threats that if they did not do so, their accounts would be permanently banned on the platform! 

If you’re unsure about any “tech upgrades” offered to you, don’t need to shy hor – just ask someone more tech-savvy who you can trust, like your children or a colleague.

Don’t kena fake by these fake jobs!

I know, times are hard and many of us are looking for side jobs to earn some extra money. But be extra careful of anything that offers an “easy” way to make money! A new scam in recent months has been circulating on Facebook and Whatsapp, advertising part-time jobs on e-commerce platforms as “Affiliate Marketing Associates”, with a daily salary between S$300 to S$500. 

The “job” involves helping e-commerce platform merchants improve their sales by making advance purchases. Victims would be promised a full refund of their money eventually, plus a 10% commission. All they needed to do was add something from an online shop to their cart, screenshot and transfer the cost to a bank account provided by the “job agent”. Sounds easy, right?

This process would be repeated several times, starting with low-cost items, and then moving on to more expensive items. At the beginning, victims would receive the refunds and commissions with no issue. Eventually, the scammers would claim to have “processing issues” with the refunds, and stop paying the victims – becoming uncontactable and disappearing into thin air! 

So please, if a job offer seems too good to be true, it usually is hor! Do not trust dubious job offers that offer big returns for little effort. Always complete your purchase on the e-commerce platform itself. To protect yourself, avoid making direct bank transfers to sellers, and never share your bank account details with anyone.

Every day also got new scam

Unfortunately, these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scams on Facebook. Scammers are constantly coming up with new and “innovative” ways to get people to part with their hard-earned money. Always remember, if something or someone on Facebook seems too suspicious, it’s always safer to just ignore it. Stay safe and protect yourself ya!