Safeguarding Your Facebook Account from Phishing Scams

Protect yourself from Facebook phishing scams by learning how scammers manipulate users and how to identify and avoid falling victim to these fraudulent attempts on social media.

Overview of Facebook Phishing Scams

Facebook phishing scams are not new in any way, but the way these scammers are getting you to click on these links has changed drastically. Scammers use many deceptive tactics to trick you into giving them your confidential information, such as your login credentials or financial details. These scammers will exploit psychological techniques to manipulate you, create a false sense of urgency or trust to get you to click on their corrupt link. For example, they may send urgent messages claiming account issues that require immediate action, to try and get you to act impulsively without verifying how legit the request is.

As the sophistication of phishing scams continues to evolve, it is essential for you to remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding your information online. Using security features like two-factor authentication and reviewing account activity periodically for any unauthorized access can help protect you. By understanding these common tactics the scammers use, not clicking on suspicious messages or entering sensitive data, you’ll reduce your risk of becoming a victim to their scams!

What are Facebook Phishing Scams?

Phishing scams have been around a long time, but they used to look sketchy and we all could distinguish it was a scam. Now though? These scam messages look like very normal Facebook support or legitimate business messages. All for you to let your guard down so that they’re able to steal your sensitive information.

Scammers can create fake notifications that look like legitimate Facebook alerts. So once you click on the malicious link it can lead you to a counterfeit login page designed to steal your credentials. By impersonating these trustworthy people, they can trick you into providing passwords, credit card details, or social security numbers under false pretenses.

These Facebook scams often create a sense of urgency or fear to try and get you to act fast without checking the accuracy of the request. Another common tactic scammers use is sending an alarming message claiming account suspension or security breaches. Scammers prey on your emotions like curiosity, greed, or panic to increase the likelihood of a successful phishing attempt.

Signs of a Facebook Phishing Scam

Could you recognize the signs of a Facebook Phishing Scam? Which of these messages are from Facebook?

Could you figure it out? Did you figure out that all of these are scamming messages and none of them are real?

This is why it’s important to recognize the signs of a phishing message.

Some of the messages above look very real and not all of them make a mistake, but these are some of the most common warning signs:

• Email isn’t from a Facebook or Meta domain. Facebook uses the following emails when reaching out to users: @facebookmail.com, @facebook.com, @fb.com, and @meta.com.
• Typos, grammatical errors, unusual fonts, or excess of emojis
• User’s name or avatar is not from Facebook or Meta.
• Design doesn’t look like it comes from Facebook or Meta.
  (This can be hard to notice if you’re not that familiar with Meta designs.)
• Time-sensitive requests (e.g., “Do such and such, or you will be suspended in 24 hours.”).
• Links you MUST click to solve the stated problem.

Phishing Scams

Recognizing and avoiding Facebook phishing scams is important to keep your personal information, yours. Scammers will use every trick in their bag to deceive you. They create fake websites that look so real and resemble legitimate ones, getting you to click on the link. And once you do click they can delete access to your business page you worked so to build, find your personal information, or impersonate you and scam your friends or colleagues. By being aware and scrutinizing URLS for any inconsistencies, you can save yourself from a potential phishing scam.

Let’s go over the most common types of scams you might see:

• Investment scams
  • Unrealistic promises of monetary benefits
  • Examples: “Cash flipping,” Ponzi schemes, or “get rich quick schemes
• Job scams
  • Misleading or fake job postings to obtain personal information or money.
  • Postings that sound too good to be true.
• Romance scams
  • Scammers pose as individuals seeking relationships.
  • Will request money for flights or visas after gaining your trust.
• Lottery scams
  • Information of legitimate organizations claiming lottery winnings.
  • Request personal information for verification.
• Loan scams
  • Offer instant loans with low interest rates for upfront fees.
  • Request for more money or disappear after initial payment.
• Donation scams
  • Pretend charity, religious, political figures requesting donations.
• Inheritance scams
  • False claims of inheritance, requesting personal information.
• Commerce Scams
  • Unrealistic offers for goods and services.
  • Urgency to act quickly.
  • Payment through gift cards or cryptocurrency.

What to Do If You Think You’ve Been Targeted

If you accidentally clicked on a link, don’t panic! You do need to take immediate action, but it’ll be okay, there are things you can do to safeguard your account and information.

Here are a few things that you can do:

• Don’t provide any personal information – This is what the hacker is looking for and can actually lead to the destruction of your account/computer.
• Disconnect from the internet – If you’ve clicked a link, it may trigger malware to be downloaded. It won’t save the device you were on, but it could save other devices from the malware moving across the network.
• Back up your data – If malware has been downloaded it could wipe or damage your data. Use an external hard drive or USB to prevent the loss of your data.
• Check for malware – Not all phishing links lead to malware being downloaded, but it’s still a good idea to have an antivirus software run a test to be sure.
• Change passwords – If you think you clicked on a phishing link, change your passwords for things like your bank account. This will make it harder for the hacker to use the password you accidentally provided to gain access to other important information.

Remember, staying informed and proactive is the key to avoiding the risks of a phishing scam. If you happen to run across one of these Facebook phishing scams informing friends, family, colleagues about it can help everyone stay safe and ensure a safer online for everyone. You also should report any suspicious activity to Facebook’s dedicated phishing email address phish@fb.com.

Wrapping Up

In the ever-changing world of social media, online security threats evolve faster than you can keep up on what the latest threat is now. These scammers use sophisticated tactics to try and deceive you or other unsuspecting users. Many scammers follow a very similar pattern, if you know what they’re looking for. When you are online and come across any message make sure to scrutinize the message for any sign of suspicious activity.

Never give out your personal information or click on links you aren’t sure of where they go. Remember the common tactics used in Facebook phishing scams, like fake login pages, malicious links, pleas for money, or scare tactics of your page being deleted. Be cautious and refrain from hastily responding to unusual messages or emails you receive.

If you are ever unsure of a message you receive though you can use our AI marketing expert chatbot Ava to check the legitimacy of a message. If you are already a client, you can send your team message and we can take care of those messages for you.

Most importantly though, stay vigilant on the internet so you are never the victim of a scam!