Avoid Spooky Social Media Scams this Halloween with our Best Ghoul-Tools!
Article published in Longmeadow Neighbors
(October 2023)
We at MorningBird Media know the digital graveyard is an easy web to find ourselves tangled in, especially for business owners. Lately, we have seen a surge in scams and bot accounts lurking around every corner of the Facebook ether and want to ensure you are properly equipped to spot the imposters!
What to look for:
Facebook will NEVER send your page a message to say you have violated rules or they are deactivating your page. Any correspondence from them will either be in the support inbox in the settings or sent to the email they have on file for you.
What is the URL ending? Does it include a username or is it just a bunch of numbers? If it does not have a “username” it is likely a fake.
When you click on the Facebook page in question, it will say who oversees the page. If it does not say “Facebook is responsible for this page”, then you know it is a false account.
When in doubt, check if the page has any followers or following. If it has zero, it is also an imposter!
If in a few days, the profile thumbnail from the message in your inbox turns into “Facebook user” with no profile photo, Facebook has removed the suspicious account and your hunch was right!
If the likeliness of Facebook or Meta is being used, but there are misspellings in the name or there is random punctuation use, this is not a page run by Meta.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Things not to do:
Avoid clicking on links inside direct messages. It could attempt to download malware to your computer or try to access your sensitive information.
Do not upload your ID unless you can 100% verify it is from Facebook.
When paying for items online, ensure you are using a secure browser to avoid information being stolen.
Don’t use the same password for EVERYTHING.
Only having password authentication. If a service utilizes two-step authentication take the time to set it up.
If your detective work still leaves you stumped, email us at info@morningbird.media and we will be happy to help. We offer free 15-min coffee date sessions to help our community thrive!