You hear about online dating scams happening on websites like Match, Zoosk, eHarmony, and Christian Mingle, but one place easily forgotten that is a common breeding ground for fraud is the social media giant, Facebook. With 2.375 billion users and counting, Facebook is the most popular site for social connection and meeting new people. Many use it for connecting with family or networking for work, but the most of Facebook users are open-minded to romance and flirting and reaching out to users all over the world.
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Thanks to this, Facebook is an easy place for scammers to try and target others to get their money. Facebook romance scams aren’t talked about enough, and today that needs to change. Learning about what they are, how to protect yourself, ways to prevent it, and what to do if you’re a victim will keep you and others safe online when using Facebook.
Though Facebook is not a dating website, it’s a common place to find love. In a romance scam, someone on the Internet uses fake, stolen pictures to impersonate a profile. They target singles and strike up an online relationship with them for the purpose of manipulating their emotions and getting money through any means necessary.
On Facebook, these scammers are harder to detect and harder to take care of, since the site itself is so large and profiles are all unique and varied. Romance scams are a major problem in the USA, and with $230 million being scammed yearly online, you need to be up to the challenge of protecting yourself.
Unlike many dating services, Facebook is entirely free to use and used by pretty much everyone with internet access. Since it’s so accessible and inexpensive, many people prefer to use the networking aspects of the site as opposed to subscription dating platforms. Romance scammers on Facebook tend to have an easier time finding their targets, as well, because you wouldn’t suspect them.
As alarming as it is, there are several ways that a romance scammer can lie and deceive you and get right to your heart (and wallet!). There is no how-to guide, at least not one that I know of, for a fraud profile to follow, but there is definitely a pattern that has been spotted by authority figures on the subject.
Many of the reoccuring lies and stories you’llhear from scammers and see their Facebook accounts based around include:
These are only a small fraction of the different schemes and lies that a scammer may tell you. The fake profiles used are minimal effort and hoping to get by as passing for a fairly inactive Facebook user, but sometimes scammers get a little more in depth with their plot. Experience fraudsters will have enough on their profile to fool even the most careful user, so don’t only be on the lookout for the mentioned manipulation tactics.
When put so plainly, it may be hard to understand how anyone falls for a romance scam, but it’s far more common than you’d think. In fact, only a small portion of scams even go reported, so the numbers we can find today are way lower than reality. Sure, it’s easy to think it’s impossible… until it happens to you.
The most common ways romance scammers on Facebook will ask for money are as follows:
Most of the time they will start off slow asking you for an Amazon or Visa gift card sent electronically via email of some sort. Then, it will add up to sending large money orders via Western Union (or other such methods. Be wary of these scams. It’s a progression towards the ultimate goal of taking all of your money.
Scammers use these tactics to their advantage and convince you that the feelings are real, and if you just help them with finances, you can be together. When you’re in love, or feel cared for, it’s easy to be generous… especially if you’re in a vulnerable place. As awful as it sounds, most victims of these scams are getting out of a divorce or had a spouse die, making them lonely and easily fooled.
No one says you should give up social media, oreven online dating, entirely. In fact, I really encourage online dating andnetworking, since you can meet so many more unique and genuine people than youwould otherwise. However, it’s important to be aware of who you are talking to,and how you are behaving.
A few great tips for protecting yourself whileusing Facebook include these 6 items. This is really just the bare minimum youshould be doing on Facebook, or any social media site, to keep scammers out ofyour life.
Many people don’t understand the exact mechanicsof the Facebook privacy settings, and since Facebook likes to update the formatand exact options frequently, it’s easy to be confused.
In the privacy settings, you should review whatyour account is set on as a default. The safest way to set your account is tofriends only, so your private pictures and posts won’t be seen by others whohave you added. Also, you may want to consider not allowing search engines tolink your profile unless you have a business need for exposure online.
You also want to make sure your email, phonenumber, and other forms of private contact are kept hidden. Many people don’thave the right privacy settings enabled, so they are discovered quite easily byscammers.
On Facebook, a mutual friend is someone that has a person on your approved friends list also added. You can see how many mutual friends you share with an account hoping to add you before accepting. While Facebook is a fun way to meet potential new strangers online, it’s always best to have at least one existing connection first to ensure they are a genuine person.
One way to avoid getting a friend request from a random person is by enabling “friends of friends” only in the privacy settings. This way, you can ensure that those reaching out to you are only connected by people you know in real life.
Facebook community groups are a large part of the websites appeal. From township forums, garage sale pages, parenting and hobbies clubs, to even groups associated to your zodiac sign, you can find a group for anything. People from all over the world join groups to promote movements, politics, and ideas. These communities are excellent, but it’s also a breeding ground for scammers.
When in a group setting, especially a large onethat is open to more than just your area, just be mindful of what you post andcomment. Keep personal details on the private side, and talk with others in thecomments instead of direct messages until you build trust together. Groupsaren’t dangers on their own, but it can get a little sketchy when you takecommunication off the page and into a personal message.
Since fake profiles will never use real pictures of themselves, the best way to discover if the person on the other end is a catfish or a true account is to just do some research. Take their pictures and use the search engines and free programs to trace the origin of the image, as well as other places it has been posted. Usually, you shouldn’t get more than one or two results.
People sometimes upload pictures to more than one place, for example, cross-posting on Instagram and Facebook, or maybe a photography website for professional images on a gallery display. However, scammy fake profiles will reuse pictures and you’ll notice multiple accounts with the same face.
If someone asks you for money… you should just say no. Your help can be given in other ways. Maybe point them to a crowd funding group, or suggest government and outreach programs designed to help those with financial grief. Most of the time, a scammer will jump from casually talking to being very serious romantically in a short amount of time, and with that leap comes the pressure to wire funds over.
You need to remember that these scammers aren’t just random strangers who ask for money, but instead a person who has put time and effort into manipulating your emotions and claiming your heart. It may seem easy to say yes and agree (what’s a few bucks in the name of true love?), but be wary of those red flags.
Made a new friend? Great! Do you feel a lot of chemistry with them? Even better! Run a background check first using the service, BeenVerified. This will help but any suspicions or fears to doubt when it comes to verifying their legitimacy online. If a reverse image search comes up empty, you can utilize many different background check programs.
You can even get this done for free! Do your research on conducting background checks and run the name of the profile through the database. You don’t need to be in depth about it, but confirming they are a real person is key. Many arrest records are left public, too, so you can even check the safety of your potential date as well.
Now that you know everything about Facebook romance scams, you should conduct a little bit of a self-investigation to see how likely you are to be targeted for a scam. Scammers tend to go for repeat victims, those who fall into the same category and have easy ways to manipulation them. This doesn’t mean that you’re not still at risk if you don’t fit the following aspects, but it isn’t as likely.
You may be at risk for being targeted in aFacebook romance scam if you:
Not everything on this list of risks can be changed, such as your age or relationship status. However, you can adjust a few online behavioral aspects when it comes to your Facebook usage and help minimize your chance for being seen as a prime target for a hurtful scam.
It is important that you perform a quick background check on who you are actually speaking to on Facebook (you can do that here). The common questions that spring to mind are:
To help the users of this site we have partnered with BeenVerified so you can check exactly that. This checking service reveals everything about this would be romance scammer and if they are a real person!
Helpful Information Available on BeenVerified:
If you have the slightest doubt about who you are speaking to… Please use this service!
Hopefully you haven’t been totally discouraged yet from allowing social media, like Facebook, to connect you with someone great. Plenty of great friendships and romances have started on the platform, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay safe while enjoying your time spent socializing!
Stay proactive and current with your privacy settings, and take things slow when beginning an online relationship. Even if someone is who they say they are, there is no reason to rush blindly into something too fast, especially if you’re required to put your money into it with your heart.