Scam prevention
We know the impact that scams can have on people around the world as scammers target them across the internet. To help protect our users, we invest in our products and support systems to keep the scammers out.
Staying safe from scams online
We are constantly working to detect and block scams that purposefully deceive, misrepresent, defraud and exploit people for money or property.
While scams greatly pre-date the internet, these days, scammers target people across the internet to try and trick them into giving money or personal information away. They may try to send a phishing email or a text message pretending to be a friend of a friend or a legitimate institution, or they may urgently message you on social media posing as a relative in need.
1.3 billion
fake accounts actioned
We know that fake accounts are often used by scammers. In Q4 2022, we saw a decrease in account actioned to 1.3 billion from 1.5 billion in Q3 2022. Fluctuations in enforcement metrics for fake accounts are expected due to the highly adversarial nature of this space.
Beware of these common scams
Scams and the techniques they use to mislead people keep changing in response to internet services like ours detecting and blocking them. To help you spot them early and protect your online accounts, here are some of the latest scams we’ve seen.
Investment scams
Scammers may offer great investment opportunities like cheap loans or cryptocurrency schemes. They would promise quick money, low risks, and high returns, and claim that they too are investing in the same project. They would then ask you to transfer money or cryptocurrency to seal the deal.
How to spot: Be cautious if they insist you make a quick decision. If they promise a high return with little risk, the deal is probably too good to be true.
Romance scams
Scammers often use attractive photos and build fake personas, and may reach out through dating sites or social media to carefully cultivate a romantic relationship. They often take time to build trust before they try to trick you into sending them money (for example to buy an airplane ticket to visit them) or sensitive personal information.
How to spot: These accounts often appear too good to be true. Watch if they ask a lot of personal questions without sharing anything about them. Avoid sending money or sharing personal information with anyone you have not met in person.
Fake goods or services scams
Scammers may run credible-looking websites and social media pages offering goods or services at “too-good-to-be-true” prices. They may ask for your credit card details and your home address and then charge you for products that never arrive.
How to spot: Take a close look at their reviews and comments to see what other people say about their experiences. Slow down if offerings feel too good to be true.
Friend in need scams
Scammers may urgently text or email you, claiming to be a friend or someone you know, who urgently needs money or sensitive financial or personal information to get them out of trouble.
How to spot: Ask yourself if the request from your friend is out of the blue. If it is unusual, call your friend directly to confirm whether the ask came from them.
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 into 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 and 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.
Please review our tips and stay safe online.
