Social media is a wonderful way to connect with people we love and it can even introduce us to new friends worldwide. But it’s also a place where emotions can be manipulated and our perception of reality tricked—and it remains one of the most-reported contact methods leading to financial loss. Staying safe from scammers involves equipping yourself with knowledge about how they operate. Here are some of the most common social media scams—and how to protect yourself from them.
Impersonating people you know
If you see a friend request pop up from someone you thought you were already connected with on social media, be wary. Scammers can use information they can gather from someone’s online profile and then request contact with that person’s friends and family. The aim is for you to accept the contact, after which the scammer may create posts asking for money or attempt to contact you. They’ll then pretend to be the person, hoping that you’ll believe them and hand over personal information or finances. If you get a request like this, check in directly with the person outside of social media and ask if they made a new account.
Phishing
Phishing scams—where scammers impersonate a legitimate organisation—are rising on social media. These range from fake profiles of reputable companies asking for your personal information to links sent via direct message that aren’t secure and attachments that have malware. If you’re contacted by a business on social media, don’t engage. Instead, get in touch with the company through a different, official method, sourced directly through their website. Never trust links sent from people you don’t know (for example, Facebook Marketplace buyers) or companies on social media and don’t open any attachments.
Fake sales
Buying and selling items online has never been easier and can be a convenient and thrifty way to pick up everything from concert tickets to second-hand items. The issue is that scammers are also in this space, which means you could lose money if you aren’t careful. When buying or selling an item on social media, be wary of “too good to be true” offers. These may look like surprisingly low prices for expensive items or buyers accepting a listed price without seeing the item or requesting any further information. Ideally, meet buyers and sellers in person and exchange cash. Tickets are best bought through authorised reselling channels, as digital tickets can be counterfeit.
Romantic relationships
Meeting people online has become one of the top methods for finding a romantic partner, with more than three million Australians using dating apps or connecting with people via other forms of social media. However, romance scams saw Australians lose $156.8 million in 20241 so while finding love online is a worthy pursuit, it pays to be cautious. Romance scammers will build a relationship with their target and then when trust is secured, solicit money or gifts. They may also ask for personal details to access your finances or solicit intimate photos and videos they will then use to blackmail you. For this reason, if someone you meet online doesn’t want to meet in person, it’s best to remain cautious and refrain from sharing too much.
Quizzes, contests and giveaways
Personality quizzes and prize-giving competitions can be fun on social media but not all links are credible. One way that scammers are extracting money from social media users is through these platforms. If a quiz asks to access your profile information or has questions that seek personal details from you, such as your mother’s maiden name (these can be used to determine answers to common security questions), it’s best not to engage. Likewise, if a competition on social media requires sensitive personal information, it may be a trap.
Tips for staying safe on social media
1. Turn on multi-factor authentication
This requires you to log in with your password and then use a code sent via text or email. It helps protect your accounts from hackers and is easily turned on via the security settings on your social media profile.
2. Verify who you’re speaking to
When interacting with strangers, check their profiles before conversing. A recently created profile, lack of followers and not many posts can be warning signs of a scam. Reverse image search is another way to weed out fake profiles—drag and drop their profile image into Google Images and you may find it comes from a stock image gallery or is connected to another individual (and therefore may be a case of stolen identity).
3. Be selective with what you share
Be cautious when posting details about your life online. Scammers can use information like birthdays, pet names or family names—even interests you have—to target you. Reconsider whether it’s worth sharing in detail or increase your privacy settings to limit who can see your profile and posts.