With advanced technology comes advanced scams. From bogus texts to spam calls to sketchy Facebook posts, online scams are on the rise.
In its 2023 internet crime report, the FBI received a record number of complaints and financial losses.
“They're getting people's personal information and sending them to third party links, which is stealing their personal information,” said Devin Todd Ramsey, a real estate agent in Kentucky.
Todd Ramsey hasn’t only seen the scammer posts, she’s unknowingly fallen victim.
“We had just closed on my seller's property, the buyer had moved in, and I happened to find photos of my listing online saying it was available for a rental…well no, no it's not,” she recalled.
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The scams have also targeted vacant properties, according to Todd Ramsey. Scammers have been known to post stolen photos of rental properties online, and convince a victim to send a deposit before taking off with the money.
“Absolutely infuriating,” Todd Ramsey said.
In the 2023 internet crime report, the most frequently reported crime was phishing, which intends to trick a victim into providing sensitive information like a password or bank pin.
Oftentimes, scammers obtain that personal information under the guise of a rental property, items for sale, or even a job posting.
Recently, Todd Ramsey came across a job posting in a community group on Facebook. The post advertised a data entry clerk position offering $20 to $40 an hour, yet the post didn’t include an employer and requested interested applicants reach out through a personal message on Facebook.
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Noticing the red flags and discovering that it was phony, the post was quickly reported and taken down. Yet, too often, victims don’t see the red flags until it’s too late.
Taking matters into her own hands, Todd Ramsey created an online job board for locals. There, you can find direct links to legitimate job sources.
“I'm in real estate but I love my community and I want to be a resource for everyone,” she said.
You can search or report a scam through the Better Business Bureau here.
Facebook also offers guidance on how to avoid scams. Look for the following signs when considering whether to accept a friend request or respond to a message:
- People who you don’t know or famous people asking for money.
- Asking you for advance fees to receive a loan, prize or other winnings.
- People claiming to be a friend or relative in an emergency.
- People asking you to move your conversation off Facebook.
- People claiming to want a romantic connection with you quickly and then asking for money.
- Messages or posts with poor spelling and grammar errors.
- A message asking for your urgent response because something is wrong with your online account.
- A message that simply asks you to log in with your social media, email or bank account to read an important message about the services you use online.
- Accounts that have no friends, profile photo, or real-looking activity on Facebook.
This story was originally published by Megan Mannering with the Scripps News Group.
