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Facebook is often billed as a platform for keeping up with friends. But in order to do so, users need to dodge scammers lurking there.
A new survey of 1,005 adult Facebook users who reported experiencing scams in the United States found that platform users are targeted in a multitude of ways.
Fifteen percent of respondents said they were asked to pay a fee to apply to a job, while 27% reported that someone asked them to send them money or gift cards to receive a reward. Both are prolific scams on Facebook and other platforms.
Facebook Scams Range from Phishing Links To Fake Ads
The survey, conducted by OnePoll for Forbes Advisor, found that respondents frequently encountered suspicious behavior while on Facebook, including receiving a friend request from someone they were already friends with or from someone they didn’t know. Receiving a message asking to click on a link was also a common experience.
These scams and phishing attempts (the fraudulent practice of what appears to be a well-known business or individual sending a message to a consumer asking them to provide sensitive information, such as a photo of their Social Security number card) can lead to serious consequences for consumers.
Thirteen percent of respondents said that someone used their stolen identification information (such as…
