DANIA BEACH, Fla. – Facebook-Meta is now responding to a series of exclusive Local 10 News investigations involving scams on the social media platform.
The company said, in-part, that it is continuing to invest in detection technology. It also included a boost in area “review teams” for the site.
The company’s statement comes as law enforcement agencies across the country continue receiving reports of scams involving Facebook Marketplace.
“It’s important to have a document of it because you never know when things may escalate,” said Cinthya Lavin, with the Better Business Bureau.
Local 10 News uncovered several victims who were targeted on Facebook Marketplace. One victim’s car was vandalized.
For weeks and months, they said they tried to contact reps at Facebook, to no avail. Over time, the scams only got worse.
“Whenever legislations come about, or if you have proof that you started battling this, you may be entitled to compensation if it ever does come to that,” said Lavin.
Lavin said in some cases, the problem is actually that social media users are not properly securing accounts or passwords.
That wasn’t the case in Dania Beach, though.
At least three residents reported they’ve had strangers showing up to their door.
The passerby’s would say they rented their cars on Facebook Marketplace. Photos of the actual cars were advertised online, but the owners didn’t know about it until several visitors would show up; some having already paid deposits.
“I didn’t even know you could rent cars on the Facebook app,” said Nicholas Braddock, the latest victim to speak with Local 10 News. “He (the renter) thinks that we’re the scam artists.”
Another family in Hollywood has seen 50-60 visitors show up. Karla Bernet’s Facebook account was hacked nine months ago, and the scammer started posting large appliances for sale on Marketplace.
The hacker would take deposits to hold those fake items for sale and give the family’s address for pickup.
Most of the victims who have spoken with Local 10 News said they have tried to contact Facebook many times and flagged the posts to stop strangers from showing up. Some are frustrated by the lack of answers.
Robert Vazquez’s family said they were even considering legal action.
After days of communicating with reps at Facebook/Meta, some of the fake ads were removed and officials asked for any additional links to phony accounts or hacked pages.
Statement and company tips:
“Scammers use every avenue available to them to defraud people and constantly adapt to evade enforcement. Content that purposefully intends to deceive or exploit others for money violates our policies, and we remove this content when it’s found. We continue to invest in detection technology, review teams and we share information with law enforcement so they can prosecute scammers. We also actively share tips on how people can protect themselves, their accounts and avoid scams.”
- Meta Spokesperson
Background
- We take the threat of scams seriously and rely heavily on our regularly trained enforcement and review teams, as well as specialized detection tools, to identify compromised accounts and other fraudulent activity. More information on our commerce review and enforcement can be found here.
- When we find scam activity, we take appropriate action, which can include disabling the seller’s commerce accounts, removing listings and canceling existing orders. Buyers who purchased eligible items through our onsite checkout process can submit purchase protection claims through Facebook or Instagram, and can report any suspicious behavior on their accounts.
- To avoid becoming a victim of a scam, we encourage people to use tools we provide to help keep their account secure and protect their privacy.
- Here are some to help protect shoppers while shopping online. More information on shopping safety can be found on the Facebook help pages.
Research before you buy
- Review the sellers/businesses’ profile, along with product reviews and ratings.
- Is this a company you know? If not, it is worthwhile to go check out its Facebook Page — read comments in recent posts, consider if the Page has a long history, or if it was recently created.
- Does the price seem too good to be true? Do a price comparison across other websites to see if you are finding drastically different prices for the same product on other sites. Double-check deals that seem too good to be true. Scammers may try to use underpriced items to lure buyers into a scam.
- Does the business provide clear shipping costs, delivery times, customer service commitments and tracking information?
- Is it clear where the product is shipping from? While international shippers will often offer “free refunds,” the cost to return an internationally shipped item may be more than the price of the product.
Use secure transaction and payment methods
- Don’t provide gift card details to someone you don’t know, and avoid transactions that require you to only pay with a gift card.
- Avoid clicking suspicious links and be cautious of emails telling you that there was something wrong with your payment through checkout on Facebook. You can view your payment history on Facebook in your settings.
- Don’t respond to messages or emails that ask you to provide verification codes or account information, such as your email address and password.
- Many purchases made with checkout on Facebook are covered by our Purchase Protection policies.
Keep your personal information safe.
- Don’t respond to messages or emails that ask you to provide verification codes or account information, such as your email address, password or other personal details.
- Avoid communicating with buyers or sellers privately outside of Facebook and Messenger. Having a record of your conversations will be helpful in case there is a problem with the purchase or payment later.
Inspect items when buying in person
- When buying in person, inspect any items to make sure that they’re genuine.
- When meeting with someone in person, follow the tips for meeting someone from Facebook Marketplace and create a meet-up plan.
Browse the website
- Look at the domain name. Did it take you where you intended to go, or redirect you to a completely different site?
- Are there spelling or grammar mistakes on the website?
- How clearly is the business presenting its product? Are the photos clear? If you are buying clothing, do they provide the dimensions of the product or a size chart?
Report suspicious activity
- You can report suspicious behavior, products, ads, accounts on your profile, or Messenger threads by tapping the three dots in the top right corner of the shop, product or ad (Help Center content on reporting here).
- You can also report suspicious links to facebook.com/help/reportlinks.