Facebook scams

It isn't your fault. These people are a menace and anyone can be caught out.

Thanks for the warning Jane.

If an offer is too good to be true. It IS too good to be true, avoid it.

keepingquiet

It isn't your fault. These people are a menace and anyone can be caught out.

the truth!

There are several similar ads on FB showing very elegant older craftspeople who claim to be retiring from their business making hand crafted leather bags. If you check them out on Trust Pilot the reviews are dreadful. You pay up and get cheap looking PVC bags not the real ones as advertised. That’s if you are lucky, because a lot of people get nothing.

These are cheap bags made in China but claim to be made in England. It is hilarious because on the FB post they use the most ridiculous made up names of “satisfied customers.”

A few months ago similar adverts were on for bras. They have replaced them. Don’t get caught out.

Thank you Primrose23, I get those adverts and last week saw one with what looked like upmarket hand knitted sweaters, with attractive prices - very cleverly priced, cheaper than usual, but not dirt cheap. I looked at them, but couldn't find any information on what they were made of. I had assumed wool, but couldn't confirm it and there was other information I wanted that was missing, so I decided not to shop on the site. Your post suggests I had a lucky escape.

Primrose53

There are several similar ads on FB showing very elegant older craftspeople who claim to be retiring from their business making hand crafted leather bags. If you check them out on Trust Pilot the reviews are dreadful. You pay up and get cheap looking PVC bags not the real ones as advertised. That’s if you are lucky, because a lot of people get nothing.

These are cheap bags made in China but claim to be made in England. It is hilarious because on the FB post they use the most ridiculous made up names of “satisfied customers.”

A few months ago similar adverts were on for bras. They have replaced them. Don’t get caught out.

I've seen a few of those recently on FB, Primrose53, artisan, hand-made leather bags, beautiful clothes, the businesses owned by someone who crafts these things but wishes to retire so is selling them off.

All scams.

Facebook is full of scammers. I occasionally get a friend request from some random stranger with a photo which won't be him telling me how much he wants to be my friend. REMOVE!!!

Before you buy anything recommended on FB, come out of FB and enter the Company name on Google, this should direct you to the official site. If there is one.

Very often you will find the site but with very different prices and address, other times you won’t find anything as the Company is bogus.

So always Google the Company site first and go through the official one to buy.

Thanks for the warning.

Though I find emails are the worst. I get several emails from thieves a week on average - fortunately they usually go into my spam folder automatically (rather than my "real emails" folders). Latest one was telling me they were a courier and had been unable to make a delivery to me and I'd need to send them £1 something to try again. Unfortunately for them I know the only firm of "mine" that uses that courier these days is one I've not used for months and I know they don't do things like that (even though my house is a bit difficult to find - they've all managed to find it for some years now - now that all databases have "my" housename on them, rather than the name my house was called at the time I bought it).

Very wise to change your card though just in case. I changed mine recently when someone I'd thought was a friend asked me to borrow the hard drive of the computer I'd just swopped for a few hours!!!! Cue for I swopped my bank cards on the spot and "froze him out" instantly and am telling everyone in the small town I live in (and he still does....!!!!) that he's a thief. I reckon his plans were that he knew I'd paid by card on email for a mini-break I'd had and he was planning to access that email (hence me changing my cards).

Literally just had another email from a thief - they gave themselves an English name and wrote in perfect English.

They had an excuse for why their voice is (apparently) not working at the moment - hence writing. There was a giveaway though - British people don't use the phrase "Hope this finds you well" at the start of a conversation - but there was an Indian (I think??) guy that used to start all his YouTube broadcasts with that.....so I think it must be a common starter phrase in at least one other country. All my male friends/acquaintances currently are British - apart from one who is 50/50 German and English....

Your email "from a friend" may have been from someone who had hacked that friend's email address, or even hacked your own list of contacts somehow - they can hide their own identity under a stolen one. The friend may be unaware of this.

The result could be the same, so you were right to take precautions, but your friend may be totally innocent of trying to steal from you.

CariadAgain

Literally just had another email from a thief - they gave themselves an English name and wrote in perfect English.

They had an excuse for why their voice is (apparently) not working at the moment - hence writing. There was a giveaway though - British people don't use the phrase "Hope this finds you well" at the start of a conversation - but there was an Indian (I think??) guy that used to start all his YouTube broadcasts with that.....so I think it must be a common starter phrase in at least one other country. All my male friends/acquaintances currently are British - apart from one who is 50/50 German and English....

I sometimes buy crochet patterns online from a reputable designer and make sure I go to her site or that of a known yarn company.

She has found out that a man in Africa has stolen her pattern designs and is selling them on FB.

I suppose the artful pick-pockets and opportunistic thieves in towns and cities of yesteryear have now been replaced by like-minded cyber criminals? Of course, they don't now even need to be in the same country in order to pick your pocket.

We are encouraged, and in some cases forced, to do our commercial transactions online In fact, we're being encouraged to do just about everything online.

I haven't researched the matter but I understand that online fraud is costing businesses and other organisations an awful lot of money, and that's apart from the human cost to individuals who've been scammed.

It's all very well telling us to be aware but, as the fraudsters become ever more sophisticated, it's increasingly difficult to know what's legitimate and what isn't. I've reached the stage now where I regard virtually every single communication which has a link or asks for some kind of 'confirmation' or verification - as a scam and have therefore ended up ignoring genuine emails and messages. The number of messages from 'couriers' who've been unable to deliver my package for a variety of 'reasons' would probably translate to a hanger full of undelivered packages.

I think banks and businesses have really got to up their game, so to speak, before online fraud reaches the stage where it becomes equal to the number of legitimate transactions.

And online fraudsters if and when caught, should face very long prison sentences - otherwise, where is the deterrent? We appear to accept fraud now as a part of life. But, should we? Why should the onus be on us to become mini-detectives? We can only do so much as individuals; it's up to the experts and the business world to devise ways to keep our various online transactions safe.

I recently received an unkind facebook message from a lady I know because our DDs are close friends. I know her well enough to realise that she would never send anything like that. Our DDs spoke about it and it turns out she has been hacked. She sent me a very apologetic message although, of course, it’s not her fault. Not a scam I realise but upsetting all the same.

*Cariadagain Cue for I swopped my bank cards on the spot and "froze him out" instantly and am telling everyone in the small town I live in (and he still does....!!!!) that he's a thief.

A very foolish thing to do. You are laying yourself opeen to being sued for libel or slander, depending how you spread the information. Especially as you have done nothing to verify the information.

As Elegran points out. His computer could have been hacked , and frankly, I doubt, anyone trying to rob you would do it so transparently that they are immediately identifiable.

I would pull back from spreading this fake news, until you have incontrovertable proof - then go to the police.

M0nica

*Cariadagain Cue for I swopped my bank cards on the spot and "froze him out" instantly and am telling everyone in the small town I live in (and he still does....!!!!) that he's a thief.

A very foolish thing to do. You are laying yourself opeen to being sued for libel or slander, depending how you spread the information. Especially as you have done nothing to verify the information.

As Elegran points out. His computer could have been hacked , and frankly, I doubt, anyone trying to rob you would do it so transparently that they are immediately identifiable.

I would pull back from spreading this fake news, until you have incontrovertable proof - then go to the police.

Everyone I know has confirmed that an honest person wouldnt do a (face-to-face) request to borrow one's computer hard drive. That was actually the last straw with him - as I'd had suspicions before on a couple of occasions, but given him benefit of the doubt. With benefit of hindsight - when I paid him to do an odd job of bit of digging in my garden and then looked for the £30-£40 crystal I'd buried there (this is West Wales - it's a bit of a hippie area....) and he had "thought it was a stone and put it in my pocket" and he brought it back the following day (no it did not look like a stone...) and when he said I'd not given him enough cash (notes) to pay for another odd job - after counting it out - and yep...hindsight says he did do a sleight of hand and remove a couple of notes from what I'd given him. That's just two of the things where I gave him "benefit of the doubt" - and I shouldnt have in hindsight.

I (apparently) had an email from a man here I'm friendly with a few weeks back and I got in contact with his daughter and she confirmed his email account had been hacked - and so maybe Mr Indian-I-think email message was the same person that hacked his account a couple of weeks back. Thanks for bringing that "apparent" email to mind - as that makes it clearer who the email "poster" was - probably the same guy again that hacked my acquaintance.

Dickens - you're absolutely right it's being made harder and harder for us to do things the normal way - rather than online. Lockdown was an absolute boon to fraudsters - as people got more used to and/or were forced to do many things online that they don't normally do.

Snatch-London ads for knitted cardigans keep appearing on Facebook and look tempting but thanks to the earning in here I’ll resist the temptation to order one.

NB; Don't forget to ignore the scam that is coming up on local FB groups across the country re buying a tray full of eggs (think there is one or two other food bits and bobs too). I've seen that one on both local FB groups where I live now and back in my home city FB group.

I’ve had my FB hacked then the hackers try and extort people using my messages.

CariadAgain your friend has been hacked I’d warn him and report to FB.

CariadAgain

NB; Don't forget to ignore the scam that is coming up on local FB groups across the country re buying a tray full of eggs (think there is one or two other food bits and bobs too). I've seen that one on both local FB groups where I live now and back in my home city FB group.

A tray full of eggs? 🤔
If you want a tray full of eggs, you'd go to the farm shop, surely!
Whatever next.

Cariad be careful what you put on FB or say about your friend, he may have been hacked.

It keeps happening to a couple of friends of mine, I don't know why.

Jane43 - so sorry you were scammed but don't beat yourself up about it. I've had a few instances of things popping up on laptop telling me my info has been stolen etc some came with loud music and flashing warning signs really shocked me especially when I wasn't able to get rid of the page or shut down the device. The first time I saw it I was really upset and I wouldn't be at all surprised at me or another clicking on the link in a panic. So easily done and any of us could fall foul of these things. Hope you soon get your new card through and get back to normal.

CariadAgain

Literally just had another email from a thief - they gave themselves an English name and wrote in perfect English.

They had an excuse for why their voice is (apparently) not working at the moment - hence writing. There was a giveaway though - British people don't use the phrase "Hope this finds you well" at the start of a conversation - but there was an Indian (I think??) guy that used to start all his YouTube broadcasts with that.....so I think it must be a common starter phrase in at least one other country. All my male friends/acquaintances currently are British - apart from one who is 50/50 German and English....

British people certain do open a letter with i hope this finds you well
But it’s a classic if written by a BOT. The email starts in that way to draw you in, make you feel that they care about your well being.

Don’t use Facebook/X/Instagram, etc. - anti-social media!!🤪
Scam e-mails are annoying, especially the ones with poor spelling/grammar - luckily most end up in junk mail.