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Fraud guide

Social media scams

Top tips to stay safe

Scammers can use social media to steal your details, promote fake products and services or contact you to trick you into sending them money. Follow our top tips to stay safe.

  1. Keep your info private: don’t share details like your address, birthday, or pets name publicly, with strangers, or in online quizzes and games. These are common security question answers and scammers could get this information to target you. Set your account settings to private to control who can see your posts.
  2. Check their profile: scammers can create fake accounts to pose as genuine people, celebrities, or organisations. Decline friend requests from strangers and be wary that scammers can hack your friends and family accounts.  If it’s a company or celebrity, check their profile has a verified badge and followers.
  3. Use strong passwords: make unique passwords for your accounts and change them often. A mix of letters, numbers and special characters make passwords harder to guess. Visit our password security guide for more info.
  4. Look out for ads and online auctions: if it looks too good to be true, it’s likely a scam. Don’t click on the links, instead look for the offer on the organisation’s trusted website. Ask to see expensive items from marketplaces in-person before buying.
  5. Beware of artificial intelligence (AI) scams: scammers use AI to make their scams more convincing. They can make fake images, voice recordings, videos, and text. This means you should be extra careful when viewing or sharing content online.  

How to spot social media scams

Look out for these signs to avoid getting scammed.

  • Gift cards, crypto or bank transfers: if someone asks you to pay using one of these, it’s likely a scam. These payment methods don’t offer protection, and you won’t get your money back.
  • Requests to send money: If someone you know suddenly asks for money or help on social media, contact them a different way to check it’s really them.
  • Requests to move their money or use your bank account: moving money helps criminals hide it and makes you a money mule. It’s a serious crime that can lead to up to 14 years in prison.
  • Promise of quick returns: scammers might advertise fake investments, giveaways, or jobs. Remember that no investment is risk-free. If a known company or person promote it, check their trusted website or account to confirm.