Category: Social Media (Page 1 of 5)

Logo Design scams on Facebook are the latest to appear on group pages. These scams are brought to you by the same people who offer duct cleaning, mobile car detailing and more. Here are the deets:

What This Scam Looks Like

Again, this scam usually appears inside of Facebook Groups. The wording may vary, and can actually be a bit engaging:

This time around, the scammers are onto something. The forthright statements and proud attitude is a good hook, and holds the readers’ attention. I see a lot of these posts, full of comments from people who want to contribute their own opinions and attitudes on the subject. And their conversation makes the posts more credible!

But it’s still a scheme, and I recommend you shy away from these offers.

How This Is a Scam

Once again, I have to remind everyone that appearances are often not what they seem on the internet. The people posting these offers use Western names and American-looking photos. They look like they could be your neighbors, but they aren’t. When I chat with these folks, I send them links to click on. And when they do, I get to see their location in the world:

Almost all of these service-type scams are posted by people in Pakistan. I have nothing against the people of Pakistan. But I do have misgivings about dealing with a Pakistani who uses a sock puppet account on Facebook to present themselves as an American.

Incidentally, I am very forthright with these people, as I chat them up. I ask them plainly about their location in Pakistan. They either use coarse language at me, or block me. I do not ever get a civil response from them.

How These Scams Play Out

I would have to give these scammers some money to be sure of how the scam finishes. I’m not going to do that. So, here are my educated guesses on what happens to people who fall for these schemes:

• The scammer plays you long enough to get an initial payment, and then blocks you.
• The person actually gets you some logos and design options. But they are quickly whipped up, using free sites and AI tools, and certainly not worth $200.
• They offer to help with your website design, which will give them access to your professional email and domain. Your passwords could be sold to a higher-level scammer who can abuse your email address and identity.

If you have dealt with these scammers, please share your story with me. I would love to update this post with more details!

However these ploys go down, you need to know that you will have no recourse. Whether you lose time, money or your entire website, these people are in another country, where our police cannot address them. These scammers will quickly block you on Facebook, and Meta will not assist you, even if you report the matter to them.

What You Can Do

It can be tricky to recognize these scams. Their verbiage gets better every year. But one useful trick is simply to search Facebook for the scam. Specifically, click and highlight one or two sentences in a suspicious post. Copy that text and paste it into the search field at the top of Facebook. You will know you have found a scam, if your search turns up similar posts from all over the country:

Next, report the scam posts. But understand that when you report things, you have a choice. You can report them to Facebook, but little to nothing will occur. Or, you can report them to the Group’s Admins. That is much more likely to help. The very real and local people that take care of that group will see your report and probably take action against the poster.

Lastly, I do not recommend that you criticize or attack these scammers on their posts. They will simply block you. Once you have been blocked by them, you will be unable to see their posts or report anything that they do.

There’s always another scam just around the corner. And with these jokers in Scamdinavia, nothing is sacred. Please watch out for the Girl Scout Cookie Scam, circulating on Facebook and possibly other social media.

The Scam

You might already know this scam, but it’s still worth broadcasting. Because the Girl Scout brand is so endearing and trustworthy, some people are getting fooled by this nonsense. Check out these examples of the scam I’ve collected from Facebook:

Let me be clear: These posts are not legitimate, not endorsed by The Girl Scouts of America and not created by anyone in this country. People in Kenya or Pakistan have created sock puppet accounts on Facebook, stolen a bunch of photos with kids and cookies in them, and are simply posing and fishing for quick money.

Anyone who messages these schemers will be asked to pay for their cookies using Paypay, Venmo, CashApp, etc.. The poster collects the money and pretends to take down the address, and asks the victim to wait a couple of weeks for delivery. When the delivery day passes and no cookies arrive, the crook will be long gone.

What’s Scammy and What’s Legit?

Once you know what to look for, it’s easy to get your Girl Scout Cookies from a safe source. Here’s what to look out for:

• A legitimate Girl Scout Cookie post will offer specific details, like:
  • A URL to the Cookie Finder, or a personalized website for ordering, beginning with “gsdigitalcookie.com”
  • The time and location where the kiddos will be setting up to sell their cookies in-person
  • A variety of payment options, and no sense or urgency (pay when the cookies arrive)
• A scam post will seem fishy, if you take notice:
  • the child’s name or troop is not mentioned
  • the cookie prices are wrong or too low
  • the posting account is no one you know and you have no mutual Facebook friends with them
  • the post has commenting turned off

If you see a scam post on Facebook, report it to the group’s admin or moderator. You can report it to Facebook, too, but they are unlikely to do anything.

For more info on how to get these delicious cookies, check out the Girls Scouts Cookie Program website.

If you aren’t familiar with the duct cleaning scams that abound on Facebook, I recommend you first check out my 2021 post on this matter. Once you’re up to speed on the basics, it’s time to discuss the new-and-improved duct cleaning scams. Duct Cleaning Scams v2.0 are beginning to spread throughout Facebook. Don’t fall for them and be ready to report them.

Upgrades

Duct cleaning scams are the same as before: People located in Pakistan are posting in American Facebook Groups, trying to sell duct cleaning services.

They use sock puppet accounts that make them look American. Posing as “local companies”, they are really just looking to schedule appointments, which they then resell to unlicensed people near you. The folks in Pakistan collect referral fees for each job s/he schedules. The people in America get suspicious cleaners at their door. Whoever arrives to clean ducts is not connected to any real company, and may overcharge for their service or commit other crimes.

But they’ve upped their game for 2024. The scammers are trying to appear more professional now. Their latest posts show a classy flyer with pricing, a business card, and a real website.

The wording of their posts is much improved, too. Gone are the copy-and-paste phrases that we rolled our eyes at, like “Believe our Work not Words!” Now they present more detailed and personalized posts that closely resemble everyday small businesses in our country.

Their sock puppet accounts are looking better, too. They’ve got dozens of them now, all sporting American names and stolen photos. They’re using the accounts to click Like on each other’s posts and photos, which makes them look active and more legitimate.

Same Tells and Giveaways

I am sure this is still a scam. First, I chat with these people. It’s the same ol’ schtick with them, but I still like to get proof when I can. I ask them where they’re from (Washington!) and then I send them a link to my address. (Oops, that wasn’t a link to my address, it tells me the location of the clicker:)

But there are other hints. Sometimes, I click the poster’s name to view their Facebook profile. And it catches my eye when their profile name doesn’t match with the name hiding in their Facebook URL:

I’ve tried calling some of their numbers (Houston TX area code, probably purchased through Ring Central), and no one ever picks up. But they answer texts and Facebook messages immediately. And they block me quickly, if I mention their home country:

And then there’s their website. The Titan website looks fine, but the devil is in the details. Looking up the domain name, I can see it was registered just 2 months ago, through a Czechoslovakian company. And while the images on the site looks crisp and pleasant, every single one of them tracks back to other, older, legitimate HVAC companies throughout the USA. Google Lens is really nice for doing a quick reverse image search, and it shows that these schemers just lifted their images from real duct cleaning websites.

Advice

• If you recognize a duct cleaning scam, report it to Facebook, and then also report it to the admin of the group where it was posted. Facebook won’t do anything, but hopefully the group’s moderator will remove the post and/or block the sock puppet account.
• Verify a service company’s identity with a simple phone call, or getting a referral from a true local. Make sure they have a contact number and address that makes sense for your location. Avoid contracting with any service provider that insists on texts or private messaging only.
• If someone claims they have a license with the local county or NADCA, get that license number from them and check it out! Scammers will boast about having all their licenses, but won’t give them when asked.

Scams continue to abound on Facebook, despite efforts and apologies from the man at the top. If you’re going to use this platform, please be aware of these typical Facebook scams, so that you don’t get taken:

Hair Stylist Scams

If you’re looking for a new ‘do, please be cautious you don’t get taken by “fake” hair stylists on Facebook. It’s a simple scam: Pose as a real stylist, collect a deposit or booking fee and then block the customer and disappear with the money.

This scam is a little harder to pick up on, though. First, these scammers (from Nigeria?) are willing to chat with you, using decent English and convincing slang. They may sound like cool, local people! Next, a pretend-hair-stylist may give you the name, address and phone number of a legitimate hair salon near you, when you ask. But they are not connected to that company — they just pulled it from a quick Google search to convince you to hand over your money.

Antivirus Offers

Some endorsements on Facebook won’t go to legitimate antivirus websites. They’ll go to a semi-phishing website, where they’ll try to get you signed up on spam lists, or entice you to download adware onto your computer.

Dental Care Assistance

I know that good dental care is expensive, but don’t fall for this nonsense. You won’t get anything but spam email and calls if you cooperate with this type of post.

Reduced-cost/free dental care is out there, though. Get off of Facebook and investigate what the trade schools and colleges in your area might offer!

Giveaway Groups

Scams are so prevalent on Facebook, that the scammers are creating closed groups for their schemes. These groups are essentially a place for their scams to collect and build up.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than in one of these groups. Steer clear!

Paid Surveys

I imagine there’s a way to get paid for surveys, but a post on Facebook is not it. Instead, people who are duped by this will be handing over their PII to scammers. They will sign you up on countless spam lists, and possibly use your info in other scams or identity theft efforts.

Red Flags for Typical Facebook Scams

• They show a URL to a GoDaddy or GoogleSite address.
• Payment is through Venmo/CashApp while credit cards are discouraged.
• A photo of American cash is shown.
• They insist on texting or private messages, and don’t want to talk on the phone.

Here’s a (hopefully? for a while?) final run-down on recurring Facebook scams I’m seeing out there. Don’t fall for any of these, please!

Celebrity Impersonation Pages

Johnny Depp is not going to private-message you on Facebook. Lori Loughlin will not respond to your comments and Likes. Margot Robbie would never send you a Friend request. Celebrities live in a different world than us and have handlers and layers of protection that separate us from them. If an ultra-famous person on Facebook is giving you explicit attention or asking you for things, please suspect a scam. You are almost certainly dealing with a con artist.

Creepers in the Comments

This should be a no-brainer, but I have to mention it. There arelurkers & creepers on Facebook and they manifest unexpectedly in the comments of Reviews and Public Posts.

Don’t ever respond to these characters. Block them or report their comments, but don’t initiate any contact. They’re just looking to start a private conversation, and try to take advantage of you after that begins.

Puppy Adoptions

Legitimate people will try to adopt out their puppies or other baby animals. And then there’s the scammers:

These scams can often be spotted with ease. The scammer will be out-of-the-area, or pressure you for a down payment before seeing the animals. As with most internet offers, don’t hand over money before seeing firsthand what’s for sale.

Car Detailing Offers

I’ve written at length about this type of service scam, but it merits a special mention here. Bogus car detailing offers persist in many Facebook groups, and I recommend you avoid them.

Much like the duct cleaning offers, you might actually get your car cleaned through one of these posts. But you’re not dealing with a local company. If you comment on one of these posts, someone from Pakistan, using a sock puppet account, will contact you to schedule your car detailing. S/he will send some unknown person to your house to “take care” of your car.

That person may actually clean your car, or not. If anything suspicious or illegal occurs, that person is going to vanish. The individual from Pakistan will block you. And you will have no one to hold accountable, the police will be unable to assist. It’s best to report these posts and find a truly local company to clean your car for you. Shop local!

Bargain Offers for TV Streaming

I’ll be breaking this out into a separate, detailed post soon, but for now, watch out for this nonsense:

Avoid these offers, as they are too good to be true. If these were legitimate, everyone would be flocking to them, and no one would ever pay for cable TV again. People who have a go at this type of streaming might actually get to watch some of their favorite shows. But the service will be spotty. The support will be non-existent. And then suddenly, the law will catch up to the copyright infringers at the top. Suddenly, the streaming service will wink out of existence as the top executives quit the country with whatever money they still have. Spoiler alert: these companies are not paying for or obtaining licenses for the shows they allow you to stream. That’s IP theft!

Facebook Account Help

If you’ve ever been locked out of your Facebook account, you know then how decidedly unhelpful Facebook is. You cannot call Facebook for help. They don’t offer any email or chat support. It’s just crickets and tumbleweed. This creates a perfect void for the scammers to fill:

Cybercriminals have crawled all over Facebook and other social media sites, creating posts, comments and even Group Pages, promising to help recover lost Facebook accounts. And anyone who comes to them for help? These bad guys will take whatever they can: your money, your Facebook account, your email and its password, and more.

These dreadful people are also constantly scanning public posts and comments for anyone looking for this kind of help. Sometimes, they will just pop up and comment back on people’s comments, promoting fake-help scammers on Instagram.

If you’ve lost access to your Facebook, check out what I’ve written on this blog post, or head straight to the legitimate Facebook article on this topic. You’re welcome to reach out to me for further advice. But please: Avoid or ignore any strangers that claim to have magic recovery powers. They don’t.