Social media scams use profiles, posts, messages, advertisements, and marketplaces to obtain money or personal information.
Common forms
- Fake profiles of friends, relatives, celebrities, charities, or businesses.
- Marketplace listings, fake prizes, and investment offers.
- Fake employment offers and malicious links on professional networks.
Stay safe
- Keep profiles private and limit public personal details such as location, birth date, and phone number.
- Enable multi-factor authentication and use unique passwords.
- Verify unexpected contacts; reverse-search profile images when appropriate.
- Never send money, sensitive information, or intimate media to someone known only online.