I’m careful. Really, I am. But this week, I was scammed. There was a Facebook scam, and I fell for it.
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Scammed by Facebook:
Here’s what happened. If you know me (Gail), you know I’m pretty much off of Facebook, except for the random Reels that Chris sends me. When my sister sent me a link from her friend, I had no reason not to trust it. The description in the link said that this friend of my sister’s was putting her dad into a long-term facility and needed to liquidate his stuff. There was a long list of household items with photos and very attractive prices.
The post said she was out of town and would return in a few days, but “first come, first serve”. If we wanted something, we should put a 50% deposit on it, and she would hold it for us until we could look at it and pick it up. If we changed our mind, we’d get the deposit back. There was one item we were interested in. We sent the deposit and contacted her the next day about pick up.
The next day, rather than seeing the item and deciding if we wanted it or not and THEN paying the rest of the amount due, she now wanted 100% of the money upfront before we could look at it. I declined and asked for my deposit back. And I was assured that she would send it.
This is where my spider sense started tingling. It couldn’t tell me I was being scammed before I handed over the $200 deposit?
I contacted my sister at this point and told her that her friend was rude, but I was chalking that up to the stress of putting her dad into a home. I also mentioned that we decided against buying the item from her friend because the terms were changed, and I thought it sounded fishy.
My sister had sent this link to several people who she knew needed things. She contacted them and asked them to be careful. One of her friends texted back and said:
He “was sure it was a scam.” What did I miss? I fell for it. I got scammed, and I feel pretty stupid!
Lessons Learned (Don’t Get Scammed):
Just because a link comes from someone you trust does not mean they have thoroughly vetted the information. Because it came from my sister, and because she said this was a friend, I trusted the referral more than I should have. (I found out later that my sister hadn’t been in contact with her friend for several years.) So, first, do your own due diligence.
Chris says: “Trust is death in security.” Anytime you’re online, you must be extra vigilant about your security. You don’t have an actual person sitting in front of you, proving that they are who they say they are. If you know the person, ask questions to get them to prove themselves.
Ask multiple questions about the transaction before plunking down your cash. Are the answers you’re getting consistent? Are they getting impatient about your questions? Be doubly cautious when buying a digital product, like an event ticket.
Make sure you know everywhere you have provided your financial information.
Recommendations:
Know who you are dealing with.
Change your password on social media accounts frequently, at least once a quarter. Here’s my blog about creating a good, secure password.
Change your password on ALL accounts with access to your financial info monthly. This includes social media, like Facebook, if you’ve ever purchased something through Marketplace.
INFORMATION ABOUT GEEK FOR HIRE, INC.
Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has provided computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PCs for the past eighteen years. Angie’s List and the BBB rate Geek For Hire very highly. You can find more on our website, or give us a call. Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3 support) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.
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