FB Scammers - How To Find Them Out
How To Spot Your Friendly Social Media Scammer
Hi Folks
A new member asked me if it was worthwhile using FaceBook as a means of advertising their business. My answer was of course yes and to use the other Social Media platforms as well. I also told them to be aware of scammers who will offer them deals to increase online presence, sales, and leads etc. The member came right back at me asking "How would I know if they're scammers?".
As I don't use FB much except to post to groups I haven't had any real experience of scammers as my Friends are all family, and a handful of WA members whom I've known for at least a year.
There is only one piece of advice I would offer anyone, WA member or not, and that is:
You should never ever buy from someone who messages you in Facebook unless you have already dealt with them or you have got to know them.
Moving on. After a wee bit research I came across a blog by a guy who swears his way is the best way to spot a scam on FaceBook as well as the other SM sites.
Below are the main points of his best ways to avoid these scammers.
You probably get lots of 'Friend' requests but make sure you check out their profile page first, and always delete the ones who:
Have a new profile
Have one or no profile picture
Have a profile picture of a fast car or suggestive photo of themselves etc
Have no or few friends in common with you
A great way to see if someone's profile picture is real or not is to go here - http://google.com/imghp then back to FB, click and drag their profile pic to the google tab and drop it in the box and see where else the image is being used. You will learn in no time who are real people and who are not.
(try it with your photo and see where you pop up. You might be surprised.)
There you go folks. I believe if you follow the tips and advice and check up on people you will find out soon enough if they are indeed your 'Friend' or just out to scam you.
Anyone with any more tips and advice on how to spot Social Media scams feel free to leave them in a comment below.
Have a great week and be successful.
Robert Allan
Recent Comments
37
Hello Susan, you have been hiding off late lol.
Thank you for reading this blog though and leaving a comment.
Did you find out where you've been popping up on the net?
Try it and see.
Have a great Tuesday and stay in touch.
Robert
Hi Robert,
Yes, I have not been able to spend as much time in WA as I had been previously.
Summer is a busy time for me with my children and grandchildren.
I will be out of town for a week, which will reduce my WA time considerably.
I will keep in touch, for sure.
All the best to you my friend.
Susan
No probs Susan and you enjoy yourself with the kids.
You are an early bird this morning, it must only be about 4 am where you are.
Take care.
Robert
Hi Robert,
I don't like to disagree with someone who is so helpful to the WA community, but I'm afraid I must. There is no way to see who is viewing your profile.Try it, you'll see.
Facebook has made it clear in their own forums that this is not an option. The screenshot you posted is probably a fake. They have no plans to change that in the future for some very compelling reasons.
The best anyone can do is deny friend requests from strangers, which is always a good idea. And lock down their friend's list in privacy settings so that spammers can't see their friends list and solicit.
Hello Wendy and thank you for your input.
I wasn't aware that the last pic was a fake.
I actually took it straight of FB so assumed it was genuine from FB.
I will of course delete it if you're sure it isn't true about seeing who looks at your profile.
It is a good link though, don't you agree it is a good way to see where people are popping up on the internet?
Thank you for your input and hope you have a great Tuesday.
Robert
Hi Robert,
To my knowledge, and I've done some research, there is no way to see who is viewing your profile on FB. Which I think is a good idea, especially for parents who need to keep an eye on their kids.
There is no real need to see that. They offer enough settings to keep your profile secure from hackers and strangers. It is up to the individual user to keep their account secure. You wouldn't invite strangers into your home - this is the same concept.
There's no hyperlinks with the photo. If you want to send me a PM with the hyperlink - I will check it out.
Have a wonderful day!
Wendy
Hello Wendy, there was no link to go with the photo but I have since browsed the net and came up with a definite answer - no one can access your Profile -
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/can-really-see-viewed-facebook-profile/
I will now take the photo off the blog.
Thanks again for your input.
Robert
Hello Sami and where have you been hiding?
haven't seen you around my blogs in a coons age.
Hope all has been well with you.
It pays to be safe online Sami and Social Media sites are no exception.
Hope you're having a great Monday.
Robert
This article is spot on.
If you browse the fb groups that let you advertise for business opportunities, they are full of too good to be true adverts.
As for friend requests I don't accept any requests from people I don't know unless they comply with the list in your article and also if they have no mutual friends I don't entertain them.
Great post !
Hello Darren and thank you for your input.
I'm afraid the world being what it is and the people in it, it really does pay you to be ultra careful.
You will get lots of 'Friend' requests within WA but I usually don't bother with them until they have been here a while and got to know them.
This is simply because in my 4 years here I have seen many new members who are out to make money from the membership with their own programs or system.
Of course they're not allowed to do this and leave pretty pronto.
One thing I always look at are the Profiles.
No profile to speak of and especially no photo then they are on a hiding to nothing as far as I'm concerned.
Maybe that seems a wee bit harsh but better being safe than sorry as they say.
Hope you're having a great Monday and take care out there.
Robert
No probs Pablo and hope you are keeping yourself safe.
Have a good day today and even better one tomorrow.
Robert
I've gotten several friend request from people I don't know. I check to see if there are mutual friends. If not (especially if this is a brand new FB user), I delete the request. I'm also suspicious of these unknown friend request who use a picture of a car, animal, cartoon character, landmark, etc as a profile picture. Those may be scammers.
Hi Karin and thank you for stopping by.
Did you try your own photo though?
I did and found myself all over the net (in good places I might add).
Enjoy your day.
Robert
Yes, I used my own photo. it came up with several Pinterest links, relating to travel. I see my own pins and some comments on others. My travel blog also came up (because I share blog posts on Facebook)
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Yes, I use this same method of determining if the friend request is teal. Also I would like to add their about page or initial description of themselves does not exist. Also I have a rule, if you see cleavage, leave it. In my business I am looking for professionals to join my network. Most likey a promiscuous profile photo is not seeking your business
Hello Michael and thank you for stopping by ans reading my blog and for your input via comment.
Another member said that my bottom pic could be a fake put on FB by a scammer - any thoughts on it?
Best to be safer now than sorry later is my motto and it has stood me in good stead so far.
Have a great Tuesday.
Robert