5 Common Facebook Scams

Know the Red Flags. Protect Your Money.

Facebook is a popular social media platform that over a billion people use. That’s a lot of people who regularly check their accounts! It’s no surprise that cybercriminals take advantage of Facebook’s popularity to try to scam you. Here are five common scams that cybercriminals use on Facebook to try to gain access to your money, personal information, and online accounts.

1. Fake Contests and Giveaways: Scammers try to lure you with fake contests that promise cash prizes or giveaways. However, if you enter their contests, they will ask you to provide them with your personal information or pay them a “fee.” The catch is that there’s no prize at all. The “contest” is just a trick to steal your data and money!
    
2. Account Spoofing and Hacking: In this scam, cybercriminals create a duplicate Facebook account that looks exactly like yours, or they can sometimes gain access to your real account. Then, they send messages to your family and friends, trying to trick them into thinking you sent the message. The cybercriminal uses your account to send malicious links or to trick your Facebook friends into giving them money and personal data.
    
3. Marketplace and Shopping Scams: In Facebook Marketplace scams, a cybercriminal will pretend to be a seller and will offer you an item at what appears to be a very low price. However, the item doesn’t actually exist. If you pay for the item, you won’t be able to recover your money!
    
4. Fake Job Offers and Work-From-Home Scams: Cybercriminals post job listings on Facebook that seem too good to be true, but require you to pay them money for equipment or fees before they hire you. In some cases, they might also ask for your personal information. There isn’t an actual job, and the scammers will keep any money you send them.
    
5. Romance Scams: Cybercriminals create fake Facebook profiles and use romantic language or promises of happiness to develop online relationships with other social media users. They will then exploit this relationship by asking for personal information or money.

How Can I Stay Safe?

• Be very cautious about accepting friend requests or communicating with anyone you don't know on Facebook. If the account was recently created and has very few posts, it’s likely a scammer.
   
• If anyone asks for payment up front to enter a contest or gain employment, it’s likely a scam. Legitimate organizations won’t ask you to pay for these opportunities.
   
• Be wary of promises of free money, deeply discounted items, or prizes. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Protect yourself and your accounts—explore helpful resources on our Online Security & Fraud Protection page and our Additional Fraud Alerts page.

Source: Knowbe4 "5 Common Facebook Scams" Received by U1CU, 27 Feburary, 2026.