Facebook scams

When buying from what you believe are well-known, trusted sellers on Facebook, watch out for these scams. They are NOT scams by the well-known seller itself, and not often by someone who has infiltrated their well-guarded site, they are by SOMEONE WHO HAS MADE A COPY OF THE GENUINE SITE, CHANGED THE PRICES TO CATCH YOU AND DIRECTED THE MONEY TO THEMSELVES.
There are ways to avoid getting caught. Which has a good page on this - www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-spot-a-fake-fraudulent-or-scam-website

Elegran the best way to prevent being scammed on FB is to come out of the FB site and go into the official site of theCompany you like.

Don’t click on the FB advert.

Oopsadaisy1

Elegran the best way to prevent being scammed on FB is to come out of the FB site and go into the official site of theCompany you like.

Don’t click on the FB advert.

If the just look, by mistake, at a FB ad that appears to be from a seller you already use in the real world, it will not scam you directly. Even clicking on the ad to see the price won't expose your financial details unless you tell them. What you don't do is trust an online ad to be genuinely from the firm you know and like, and send off your card or bank A/C number to whoever id asking for it. You close the ad and FB and find the seller's own website, which will have ways to prove to you that it is genuine.

And don't ever trust a "sale" with unbelievable bargains in it. The prices are unbelievable because you shouldn't believe them.

When you run a business (as I do) you get a lot of fake "invoices" from scammers hoping that you will just go ahead and pay them. I keep track of what invoice I expect and keep unpaid accounts in a folder until they come in via email. If I dont get an invoice within a few days of making a purchase or winning goods at auction I phone or email the company. So I know what to expect.

If its not in my folder I dont pay it!

I got the "mum I've been locked out if my phobe, send money" I asked if they were Peter or John, no reply haha. I appreciate the banks reimbursing people who have been scammed but it's not victimless we all pay higher bank charges to cover the banks costs

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Reported as SPAM

My FB at the moment is awash with those ‘sadly having to close our beloved business’ ads, offering what look like lovely jumpers and bags etc.,, for knockdown prices. Recently I’ve also seen one for men’s clothing!

R4 has a series of podcasts about them - ‘Scam Secrets’ inc. ‘The Knitted Cardigan Scam’ .
Well worth a listen!

Re spelling clues, I’ve noticed that some of those purporting to be based in e.g. London or Oxford, are offering ‘cozy’ sweaters.

Witzend

My FB at the moment is awash with those ‘sadly having to close our beloved business’ ads, offering what look like lovely jumpers and bags etc.,, for knockdown prices. Recently I’ve also seen one for men’s clothing!

R4 has a series of podcasts about them - ‘Scam Secrets’ inc. ‘The Knitted Cardigan Scam’ .
Well worth a listen!

Re spelling clues, I’ve noticed that some of those purporting to be based in e.g. London or Oxford, are offering ‘cozy’ sweaters.

I wouldn’t know because I’ve been banned from Facebook. Alas it seems that the sort of scammers that I was constantly reporting are still allowed on the site. I suppose if it carries on like this the scammers will only have themselves to scam to….

If it helps anyone - if you see something you like the look of in a FB ad, find the trading name of it and put it into an eBay search, and you will probably find it significantly cheaper.

As an example, Magic Cloths (or similar - you'd need the exact name) are something like £20 on FB, but two for £5 on eBay. There are currently some sort of metallic dishcloths currently going for £20 (plus postage) for a pack of ten, which costs about £3 on eBay. People are obviously buying them on Alibaba or somewhere and trying their luck, and it must be worth their while.

The eBay ads are exactly the same as the FB ones. As Christmas gets closer there will be more and more 'present ideas' which can be bought much cheaper elsewhere, too. If you discover them being sold very cheaply you might think that the quality is likely to be reflected in the price, or you might decide that a couple of quid is enough to pay for a duster, but at least you are going into it with your eyes open.

I have had emails regularly over many months , telling me that my storage is 97% full, then 98% full, and then at the weekend one saying it was 99% full, that I could no longer send emails, and photos and documents were being deleted. However, here I sit, posting on GN, photos etc, intact. I've been told this is a scam to get you to buy more storage that you probably don't need, or perhaps to get bank details.

I have been scammed once so always check on TrustPilot but a close friend, who unfortunately is succumbing to memory loss, has suffered losses on many occasions. Why does Facebook not filter out the scammers? We have recognised their ads so why can’t they?

In reading this it seems we would be better going to a shop and paying in cash for goods That would be great but unfortunately our delight in buying on-line has killed off the High Street.
Actually, I have decided not to buy clothes on-line. I am 5ft nothing fits, not even those in the petite range. Clothing sizing is so erratic you cannot rely on getting an article that fits.

MayBee70

Witzend

My FB at the moment is awash with those ‘sadly having to close our beloved business’ ads, offering what look like lovely jumpers and bags etc.,, for knockdown prices. Recently I’ve also seen one for men’s clothing!

R4 has a series of podcasts about them - ‘Scam Secrets’ inc. ‘The Knitted Cardigan Scam’ .
Well worth a listen!

Re spelling clues, I’ve noticed that some of those purporting to be based in e.g. London or Oxford, are offering ‘cozy’ sweaters.

I wouldn’t know because I’ve been banned from Facebook. Alas it seems that the sort of scammers that I was constantly reporting are still allowed on the site. I suppose if it carries on like this the scammers will only have themselves to scam to….

It says much about Facebook that they prefer these scammers to advertise their wares rather than ordinary people who want to be members to keep in touch with friends and family, or keep up with local events. I think another Gransnetter got banned for reporting scammers, too.

I've reported some suspicious adverts before now, wonder if I'll be next?