How many social scams have you seen floating around the various social networks?
You know what I’m talking about…
The posts asking you to click on a video with a really catchy, risqué, or intriguing bit of text, shared by a friend or colleague.
The friend request from someone you thought you were already friends with.
The tags in posts of you or your business page that have absolutely nothing to do with you or your business.
The private messages from strangers telling you how beautiful your face is, and how they just happened across your profile.
The “lucky winner” message informing you you’ve won the Facebook lottery and, if you just send in a few hundred dollars to cover transfer and handling fees, you’ll be rich…
It’s a never-ending cycle it seems. Wherever there is a chance to manipulate and take advantage, there will be someone not only willing, but very determined to do so.
These scams are nothing new. They began with door-to-door con artists and letter via snail mail and have evolved over time as our means of communication have changed. From fake charity solicitation calls to pleas of help from Nigerian Princes, fraud has always been around.
In fact, cons like this have been traced back as far as the 1500’s with what was called the “Spanish Prisoner” scam!
And, while you may think it doesn’t really matter, falling victim to one of these scams can have a negative impact on your business. <—Click to Tweet
Take your Facebook account for example. One of the most widespread Facebook scams is to gain access to your account and post something as you to get your friends to click or share it; or, to even post as you on the timelines of all your friends and get their friends to take an action.
If this happens it can have a massive impact on your credibility. It is really important that you stay up-to-date on things like this and understand how to spot scams and cons on social in order to protect your reputation online.
I’ve done several posts on things like this over the last few years. You can take a look at some of them in the links below (note – some of these are a few years old and, while screenshots or “how-to’s” may be a bit outdated, the strategy and messages are still the same):
How to Stop Facebook Impostors
What To Do When Someone Is Impersonating You On Twitter
Facebook Privacy, Be Responsible
Is Your Home Address Private or Public?
One of my favourite tools to combat spam and scams on Facebook is blocking. I don’t use it often, but it definitely comes in handy. I shot this video last year to show you exactly how to block someone (there’s also a handy graphic below to show you exactly where to click).
Once you’ve watched, tell me in the comments – What scam do you see on social that drives you absolutely nuts?
