How the scam works:
(with video below) Using social media sites like Facebook is a great way to keep up with old friends and connect with new ones. However, it’s also a great venue for scammers to prey upon your family and friends using you as a front for their criminal activity.
In this latest phishing scam, the crooks will use your name and photograph to create a fake Facebook profile; they will then send messages to your Facebook friends about ‘claiming a prize’. Sometimes, this prize could be tens of thousands of dollars and the reasons of the winning could be different: Facebook anniversary, lottery draw, etc.
Once the friends reply for more details, they are tricked into giving their personal identification information which then leads to identity theft.
Even worse, there were cases when scammers duplicated official Facebook pages of renown churches or pastors. They would then send messages to the thousands of fans asking for donations and they were quite successful in their crime. One example is Pastor Wayne Cordeiro, one of Hawaii’s most known public figures.
Watch the video below to see how you can easily identify if the Facebook profile contacting you is a fake one.
How to avoid the Fake Facebook Account scam:
At this time, being vigilant is the only real recourse Facebook users have. Do a search for your name and see if “doppelgangers” pop up with your picture. If you do find a phony profile, send a report to Facebook’s email, phish@fb.com. Facebook has also set up a page where victims can report impostors and notify other users of scams being spread on the popular social networking site.
How to report the Fake Facebook Account scam:
Make your family and friends aware of this scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
Report Scammers To The FTC Here
How to protect yourself more:
If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You’ll receive periodical emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.
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Pleas I’am Jacob smith pleas i need your account pleas any account
I have a relative that is sending money to a man who claims he lives in the united states but has her send money to nigeria. She continues to send the money because he says he loves her. They have never met and he has asked her to send the money to various places in the united states as well but to different names. He goes by the name jonas smith on Facebook. He has even requested her bank information and she gives it to him then he drains her account causing it to be closed out. She has had to switch banks a couple of times and she will not listen to reason because she believes he loves her what can i do?
I want to know the man who use an fake id in the name of irma jutt this person annoying me and the other family which pictures edditing with me in his fake id please find this man or block his id from face book
A friend is "dating" a scammer who is using a picture of someone else as his profile pic. This friend is so dumb that she honestly thinks he will visit her. He has broken legs and hands running to train to see her. He will send photos of someone’s hands, but the face is not there. She believes him. He also has her sending iTunes gift cards to either him or someone else. She thinks if she does this, he will love her more. His name is Spizzo Adino or Adino Spizzo. They have never Face Timed, never seen real photos of him and he created a FB account with her as only friend. How obvious can this be? For several years, he has promised to visit. RIGHT before he gets on plane, bus, car, boat, or even 18 wheeler, he comes up with an excuse. He must be stopped. Who is she sending money to? He claims he was kidnapped and blackmailed unless he gave the kidnapper money. She sent it to him. He said, I will be there as soon as I get away from this man I owe money. I have no clue why she is so dense. She’s elderly and honestly believes Spizzo loves her. His profile is on FB, whoever it really is under Spizzo Adino. Shame that she so unaware that she could get in trouble but he won’t. If he’s reported, how does he get caught if overseas? How can these people be stopped? Answers needed. It has been about 4 years since he sent the first scam email to her and she bit. She doesn’t ask him questions like, Where’s the rest of your body, how did you heal so quickly from your hand being mangled, or simply why do you need an ID to travel on an 18 wheeler for 7 hours to see me? Oh people, this is so pathetic. Something big has to happen and how will it if overseas individuals do not get in trouble? Reporting is useless if there are no repercussions for these wasteoids.
I just started up my business account but been told that someone is using my account and Facebook want’s me to pay for the security software. It’s not my fault I don’t play with scammers reporting to the BBB and my lawyer if this doesn’t get fix right now your choice
Hi u guys need to find these scumbags using friend profile it’s a joke
I was a victim of a big scam. The guilty behind the profile used was a man who had hidden behind a woman’s picture, told me to be a business woman in the oil industry who was going to Africa urgently.
Upon her arrival in Africa, she made me a sign of life and we talked on skype for a few weeks. After that, she told me that she was the victim of an assault and asked me for help, it is from this moment that my calvary began, I lost up to 23,600 euros .
Given the situation, I filed a complaint with the gendarmerie in my locality but nothing was done because the guilty being in africa so I got closer to the service interpol battling scams on the internet in africa which has Took my file in hand and this person who was posing as a Frenchman was arrested and then I recovered my money as well as compensation.
Let us be vigilant on the Internet and especially on social networks, so if you think you are a victim of a scam, you
Can contact the Interpol service and they will help you to stop your scammer, here are their addresses:
interpol.police.antiarnaque@gmail.com
Website: http://interpol-inter.hol.es/pages/register.php
Let’s open our eyes and pay attention to false profiles
THOMAS MARCOS GEORGE – he has multiple accounts listed on MATCH.COM and probably others. He scammed me out of over $12,000.00. I just met another victim, and she was scammed of $12,000.00 as well! I assume all of his pictures are stolen. He claims to be from Belgium. BEWARE!
Per favore datemi informazioni su profilo Facebook di nome david andrei da craiova 23anni di craiova..mi ha contattato dicendo di voler passare la sua vita con me e mi ha chiesto soldi per venire in Italia.È falso profilo?
Facebook has people Nigerian who steal photos of people (men) in this case make a beautiful profile then start chatting to you, in the meantime the stolen profile is closed but their are pictures of the man. To cut a long story short they will only speak to you on Messenger or WhatsApp never on Facebook. I just caught them out as I looked up the so called Tel number on Google put the number in and it doesn’t exsist I went into International dialling Los Angeles , California. When I carried on about everything that was going on and played along as I was now asked to get married to this person I realised it was yet another scam as I trust anyone. What really saddens me is the fact that this picture of this man he obviously has no idea hes on a stolen profile in facebook. Why do tese Nigerians think they can steal people pics and make fake profiles. Is there anyway we can stop it. They have scammed Prohet Brian Carn by telling the people on messenger to pay money in to a orphanage in Nigeria, they give you Western Unions account number with a persons name then they steal the money sad hey!!!! Am very disappointed to think that people have got nothing to do but scam others. kLzXf4QV
my account was hacked and there’s some important details in there
i.d theft shondrafuller@yahoo.com fraud alert nt thrid world ingnore shondra2 fraud email usa baylor
Received a friend request from someone who retired from my workplace. They then told me about the $150,000.00 they got and that my name was on the list too.
I just want to warn ladies of all ages to beware of a man named Geier James Thomas. His Facebook profile is fake. He is a romance con artist. He is not using his real name. He preys on women who comment on different Facebook pages that deal with relationships. He is in Nigeria. He is a smooth talker.
I had a thailander scammer he make a fake account of my girlfriend facebook. and hr posted ah bad photos and keep blockmailing us, her name is SANJAYA EKAYANAKE, and here is her account. bududahamai jeewethayai
Was contacted by a "friend" I hadn’t seen in many years so I "friended" her. Next thing she’s telling me about her good fortune of winning $1 million and recommended I check it out.
Every profile on Fb that starts with Agent-Officer or AgentOfficer or search Officer-Agent is part of this scam and it could be dozens.
They have 2 addresses that I found, 1) Facebook HQ in Menlo Park, Ca 2) a street in Maumee/Ohio City, OH
They all send you to one of two sites that the originating IP addresses are St. Petersburg, Russia or Amsterdam, Holland.
They tie themselves to UNICEF and for a fee you can claim "unclaimed" grant money with videos of winners. The videos are all of Publisher’s Clearing House check deliveries.
It has apparently been going on for years as I searched Agent-Officer and found dozens of them clear back to 2012 with Government Organization in their profile.
Others do Lottery Claim checks.
Found one with John Boehner’s photo, another with Jeb Bush, and another with Harry Reid’s picture.
There are hundreds of posts asking if people have won.
This needs to be shut down now.
I didn’t lose money but I can see how less diligent people could easily be taken in.
I’ve had a Russian scammer attempt to steal my money by getting me to help her with a trip to the UK. The fake name is Ulia Sasha. Here’s the fake Facebook profile:
https://www.facebook.com/ulia.sasha.7
And here’s the Instagram profile the scammer has stolen the photos from:
https://www.instagram.com/tasechka_2492/
Note that her name is Tanya (translated), not Ulia, which the scammer claims it is.
She uses a profile on a dating site called Smooch, and harvests guys from the UK. Here’s her profile on Smooch:
http://www.smooch.com/profile?ID=5446571
I have tried to report the profile, but Facebook say they ‘can’t find anything wrong with it’, even though all the photos are clearly stolen.
Be aware of Patricia Jaye offering you $250,000 of grant money for a $1,000 payment. It’s a scam
Ladies beware of a person by the name of David Wilson he’s a scammer based in nigeria
Beware of Siv Posse facebook profile. It’s Fake. Trying to get you on skype for blackmailing.
Friend Request from Grant Rooney Dean with Facebook page as Claims Manager. In messenger keeps you on a string eventually says your name has been selected…
Please beware of a fake account, Willie Green Jr. parading as a government agency providing large sums of false grant money in return for a small down payment. The account uses friends of FB account users to persuade this investment.
wanna report him he is scammer he find his victums on facebook and he is reported so many times but facebook still not closed and blockd him he also lay all women and girls he find on facebook out online as prostitudes ect and he is a gambian prostitude and he is online prostitude he push his victums on skypes and on phone ect ect close all his profiles on facebook he have more as one facebook id her ise his facebook id’s https://www.facebook.com/mustapha.jeng.98 and https://www.facebook.com/mustapha.jeng.58 and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004128585878 and https://www.facebook.com/mustapha.jeng.1 and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009418263383 and https://www.facebook.com/jeng.mustapha he scam from thise skypes when he call his victums mustapha.jeng5 and mustapha.jeng4 he scam and he blackmail his victums on skype when he have push them to add him on skype he find all his victums on facebook so block all his facebook ids and close all his facebook id’s his name is Mustapha Jeng and he is from Gambia and he is Gambian prostitude and online prostitude and he is scammer and blackmailer ect he is born the 06061976 so clese and block him from facebook
Facebook scam or fake account: Sarah Porter
https://www.facebook.com/sarah.porter.79827803
Words used in facebook message chats and found on the internet exactly the same:
I love being in front of the camera or up on stage engaging an audience. I am a good listener and can perform what is asked of me efficiently and to my best potential. I am very confident in myself and ready to face the camera!
http://anti-scam.de/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1370638531/3
one i deduce from this that you’re a dependable, stable and a responding bloke
am not much of the outgoing mixing up gal. my career and family keep me on the move often times. my first and only passion is modeling!!! i love to always be in front of the camera whether doing catwalk, exhibition or adverts, i just love to do what i do best! i love watching movies at my spare time, mostly western oldies, comedies and romance. i watched Captain America, The Exams and Mums night out, recently and i love them
i was contacted by a lady jacqueline smith who says she worked for facebook and that i had been picked as a winner of the 2015 promotion..i kept asking if it was a scam and should of known better…especially when she said i had won 550000.00 and this phone number called me saying they were cia agent verifying who i was this made me suspisuous. 13155520312..as i was told the cia would NOT send you a text message like that
In May 2015 a guy named Adriel Ephraim wanted to be my friend on Facebook . He says he is from Santa Monica California USA and is a marine engineer. People he is a scammer. He says he had to go work overseas in Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Be alert he just want money and nothing else. Check him on Facebook . Different Facebook accounts and different universities.
i also had the same experience..got a guy from UK,said that he loves me & wanna see me end of this month (august 2015) but suddenly he asked of my address coz he wanna send parcel,i thought just simple things,but when he message me i was really shock..here is his message "Honey their is an envelop inside the red Louis Vuitton bag, its contain £45,500.00 British Pounds,"..then after 3 days a lady call me & asked me to pay for the tax of the said parcel..i’m not that stupid..who will give u that amount that u even don’t know the person..just chat with the person for 2 weeks..scammers are crazy people..
I had a same story on scammer named "Robert Owens" from Manchaster City, Uk. He offers me gift and so kind to give many gift, ask me about my favorite hobby, shoes size, hand bag and even any else gift that i want. He told me that he like to giving to other person and this is special from new friend. Luckly i dont give my home address i gave my office address, no phone and also email. After 2 days someone from my local person call me and ask me to pay some money before i should received it. I told her i refused to accept but she told that i also have to pay to return the parcel to the sender. From that i realize this is scams. I track the parcel no with the courier comp. it is not exist. It is fake parcel, and the charges not reasonable, insane … More than the good’s price. I block his account and also phone number from anyone that i not know….
There is an individual who is has numerous fb accounts she is calling herself earlene McCullough in spokane wa.She also is calling herself linda baxter of newport Tennessee. She is calling herself earlene McCullough in newport Tennessee, there is also a blonde woman who is calling herself. The same on both pages, she or they have scamme me for over a thousand dollars .avoid them.
Today I was contacted by Snyder Jessica saying she was from fb headquarters in CA stating that I had win a fb sweepstake and that I could claim my prize. I asked hervif this was a scam and she became offensive. I told her I was not interested. She then replied OK. Then she blocked me.
I believe this facebook page is a scam. Their entire facebook page is nothing but asking for donations & they fail to provide proof of 501c3 status. I’ve reported them to facebook but facebook does not have a ‘this is a scam’ option.
I am on facebook i met this man on Topface we starte to talk on facbook he had a account .Then i sae e has 5 fb accounts ehen i ask him he blocked me and oppend a new account but he ask me for 1400 rand i could nrver ser it friends but eith the 3 new account he oppend i saw he has several woman he allso to open a nee account and never accrpt a friend request foim strangewoman but i contact 2 anf he ask them money too
.Yesterday he block me again i believe he oppend a new account
His name Fredrick Hopewell Hugh
Fredrick H Hopewell, Fredrick.Hugh Hopewell. Fredrick Hopewell
i.d theft shondrafuller@yahoo.com fraud alert nt thrid world ingnore shondra2 fraud email usa baylor
i.d theft shondrafuller@yahoo.com fraud alert nt thrid world ingnore shondra2 fraud email usa baylor
i.d theft shondrafuller@yahoo.com fraud alert nt thrid world ingnore shondra2 fraud email usa baylor
Contacted by a Scammer ? ?
Hi. then blue writing stating want to be true friend….
I Checked profile… Female.
I said Hi. thanks. are you a Scammer though?
respectfully. & SENT VIA MY MESSAGES.
FACEBOOK WENT TO LOG IN SCREEN.. Although i was On already!!!
I went to Sign in again.
Found JUST THEN I AM Temporarily Blocked and needded ID for Verification.
FOLLOWED ID STEPS, PRESSED CONTINUE AND WENT BLANK PAGE.. TWICE !!
CAN FACEBOOK PLEASE HELP ME. !!!!???????
thankyou so much !
DAN MALCOLM. DM-DESIGN
0435196515
I received a Friend request from Ermalee Coonis in California today. She is already on my list of friends. I believe she has been hacked.
Fernandez Joma on Facebook. Has 23 profiles under that name is contacting women for friend request and then proceeds to romance them and then tries to scam them. They friend of mine asked me to investigate him sending her a package which required money to get it. Turned out the company was fake who was to deliver the package as well as his phone numbers and his location. Tracked him to Johannesburg South Africa instead of London England where his profile said. Now they have changed to Baghdad. I have been scammed before and do get quite a few friend request on Facebook this churn out to be people using fake pictures and trying to scam me.
Anthony Daniel morris or Daniel Anthony
Is a fake profile on fb.he scam women by saying he loves you and sending you money to your country which he got from war and sending it through captain Michael Robert. Michel robert and anthoney will request you to clear the money from customs by paying a huge amount of money.plz ignore them or report against them.
Please HELP me get rid of the phoney fb acct under my name that is preying on my friends!
this is my second request here!
I changed passwords twice!
Do I need to change my email acct totally?
I have been hacked and another account with my photo is on facebook
Please help me delete that fake account . I have warned my friends
Karen McLelland is a liar and I do not know her at all. I am amused at what she is saying as I know all the above people that are mentioned as I was married to Leila Pearton and the other three people were my patients and all have legitimate Facebook accounts.These are 4 separate people and I would warn the said person above to be careful as this is defamation of character and slander and she can be sued.
i got a friend request frlm a karen robert sayn i won 500;000usd but also said f.b.i and homeland security know…i need to know if this is real?
Someone is pretending to be me on FaceBook
They are now blocking wrong people
I want to report this facebook profile as a scam. She scammed me for $3,500 telling me she love me and she want to be with me.she ask me to send her money for airplane that she is coming to see me this is her facebook link https://m.facebook.com/evelyn.trusty?fref=search. She is a big scammer and a fake woman.
I have had dealings with Leila Pearton, also Patty Frederick, Calvin Egeland and James Richmond Hilts. Leila pearton uses these names and fake accounts in Drumheller Alberta and surrounding areas. She has several sites for bidding wars in the area. She is harrassing me as well as another person and please look into this. We have blocked all these people and they are still finding ways to send messages or see our pages. Leila Pearton has been put on the fb fraud site already.
Chris Heinz Alexander from Baltimore alias "Chris Harman" is a scammer!!!!!! I wrote him, that he is a scammer and in the same moment his account/page on Facebook was deleted.
I too have run across James Williams on Facebook, says he is in the Army and stationed in Syria. Asked me for money almost right off the bat to help his mother. Telling me how much he loved me and bla bla bla. I almost did until I saw this article.
Ruben Thomas is a scammer from washington
Avoid the scammer Chris Heinz Alexander on Facebook and search for "chris.wyatt.1420". You’ll will find several links to him on the web. The same scammer under various names.
Avoid James Williams on facebook he is a scammer. He says that he is from Albany, New York but I do not believe he is. He will say he wants to be your man. He will scam you for money. I believe that he has a fake profile picture of him.
If you see another facebook with my information disregard it. I only have one account.
Avoid Richard Leads. He has a fake profile on Facebook.
The following is a scammer!
"Prince Sunny"
Email address: isunny40404@yahoo.com
He is using a faked paypal account.
Avoid Mike Lowery. Email MikeLowery341@yahoo.com. This is a fakeprofile. Managed to scam money off of me. Just wants money. Supposedly from UK but is in Lagos, Nigeria.
SOMEONE STOLE MY PROFILE AND PICTURES, IT WAS HACKERS!!!! PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, THANKS
NEED TO SECURE MY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT. I ALREADY CHANGE PASSWORDS.
Avoid Clapton Jack. He has a fake profile on Facebook.
Watch out for Rex Maximilian David.He managed to scam money off me. All he wants is your money.
Ive been ask to send money aborad Is it a scram
!Qfkn scammers