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Site terms and policies
Community standards
Privacy policy
Terms
Cookie policy
Scam Prevention Hub
Scam Prevention
Education
Safety center
App support
Facebook Help Center
Messenger Help Center
Instagram Help Center
WhatsApp Help Center
Site terms and policies
Community standards
Privacy policy
Terms
Cookie policy
Scam Prevention Hub
Scam Prevention
Education
Safety center
App support
Facebook Help Center
Messenger Help Center
Instagram Help Center
WhatsApp Help Center
Site terms and policies
Community standards
Privacy policy
Terms
Cookie policy
Scam Prevention Hub
Scam Prevention
Education
Safety center
App support
Facebook Help Center
Messenger Help Center
Instagram Help Center
WhatsApp Help Center
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Scam Prevention Hub
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Meta helps protect people and businesses from fraud and scams

Scams and fraud are a problem that affect people across the internet. We continuously work to inform people about common fraud and scams, and build tools to help them protect themselves across our platforms. Learn how to spot, avoid and foil common scams here.

Spot

Knowing the signs of common fraud and scams is the first step to protecting yourself. These are some signs to be aware of.

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Payment scams

Payment scams (also referred to as purchase scams) may impersonate or claim to be a legitimate vendor, online marketplace or user in order to trick you into sending money (often via online instant payment services), stealing your financial information or clicking on a dangerous link.

Be wary of emails claiming there was an issue with your checkout, and never click on a link if you don't recognize it. Check any emails or messages you get for spelling errors, fake brands or absurd offers. And if you're not sure whether an email is real, you can always double-check your payment history directly in your Facebook settings or with your financial services provider.

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Investment scams

Investment scams typically promise returns from a low-risk investment opportunity and often advertise a quick return on investment. They will request immediate payment or an initial investment in order to secure the highest return possible.

Always conduct due diligence when seeking to invest and ensure you’re investing with a reputable and known financial institution. Trading commodities, foreign exchange, cryptocurrency or stocks is a highly regulated practice and you should always check with your local financial regulator regarding the status of the financial entity.

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Gambling Scams

Gambling scams use false advertising to promote fake gambling or betting products and steal your financial information. They often promise "free" bets or real money for signing up to encourage you to click. Independently verify any gambling sites before you use them, and make sure that you stick to ones you know and trust.

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Romance Scams

Romance scams often use fake social media profiles to create trust and build a fake relationship with you in order to eventually steal your financial information or deceive you into sending money. Protect yourself by making sure that you don't send any of your personal information too soon. Beware of anyone asking for money who you don't know in the real world and be suspicious of any request for money online.

These requests may present themselves after building trust over time and could come in the form of a gift card, money transfer or physical cash. They may often appear genuine such as a claim of sudden change in financial circumstances, medical emergency or day-to-day expenses such as money for Wi-Fi access or travel. Stop and think before sending money, and if you don't know the person in the real world, think again.

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User support scams

Scammers may send you a credible looking email or a social media message to offer customer support by pretending to work for a company like Meta. They often claim that you need to urgently log in to your account because there is an issue. They'd then send you a phishing link to a site that looks legitimate and require you to put in your login, password and even a two-factor authentication code. Once you give them this information, they take over your account and may use it to scam others or run fraudulent ads.

How to spot: Be suspicious before entering your social media credentials, login and password when a web page or a third-party app requires you to do so. Meta will never send you a direct message advising or threatening to remove or delete your account.

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Celebrity Impersonation

Fraudsters often impersonate celebrities or other public figures in order to lure you to scam sites. Be wary of clicking on any links that you don't recognize or of unexpected messages. If your favorite celebrity reaches out to you personally or is promoting something that seems too good to be true, be cautious. Public figures and celebrities typically have accounts that are verified with a distinctive blue verification mark to help you recognize the legitimate account.

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Government benefits and services impersonation

Scammers often impersonate government services or bodies in order to steal your personal and financial information. Scammers will make lucrative cash offers, for example by claiming you have won a sweepstakes, lottery windfall, an unclaimed inheritance or qualify for a government grant. These offers are usually conditional on payments being made up front in return for promised money, which will never be received. Be vigilant with offers of cash or money via unsolicited messages or friend requests. Remember: Real government agencies or officials will never ask for any sensitive information like PINs or passwords.

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Avoid

Meta gives people various tools to help them stay one step ahead of scammers and fraudsters. Take advantage of these safety tools:

Stay safe: Learn how to create a safer experience, including control over friending others, sharing your personal information and reporting content that violates our policies.
Secure your account: Use Safety Checkup to make sure that your account is as safe as possible. Set strong passwords and use tools like two-factor authentication and login alerts to give your accounts an extra layer of protection. Learn what to do if you believe your account has been hacked or compromised.
Protect personal information: Find out who can see your posts and what information is available for public viewing. Discover how to review information when someone has tagged your account or wants to post on your timeline.

Report

The most powerful way to protect yourself from common online scams and fraud is by reporting suspicious activity. With a single click, the 'Report' tool removes a message from your feed, alerts Meta to a potential scam and helps stop the spread of potentially violating content.

Report on Facebook
Report on Instagram
Report on Facebook Marketplace
Report on WhatsApp
Report on Messenger
Report Business Impersonation

Policies

Explore the links below to learn more about the standards, guidelines and policies that guide the actions Meta takes to help keep you safer from online scams and fraud.

Facebook Community Standards Fraud and Deception Policy
Instagram Community Guidelines
Advertising Standards
Commerce Policies
Facebook Terms of Services
Instagram Terms of Use
WhatsApp Terms of Services
WhatsApp Channels Terms and Privacy Policy