Social media scams: Be careful, even if someone says they’re a friend
With the rise of social networks, there are now many more opportunities for fraudsters to access your accounts or your personal data. You must always remain vigilant. Here are three kinds of scams commonly seen on social media.
You're offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
A stranger offers you an investment opportunity. Whether it's a revolutionary new product, a project that’ll make lots of money, or a loophole in the law, ask yourself why the person would let you in on the opportunity. It's a common way for fraudsters to make easy money.
Be even more cautious if the person is a friend or acquaintance. Because victims often know the scam artist, they don't bother doing the usual checks before investing. You should always contact the AMF to confirm that a person offering you an investment is authorized to do so.
A friend in distress
A good friend contacts you on social media to say he is in a difficult situation and in need of financial help. The person may, for example, tell you he’s been arrested while travelling and needs money to pay a fine if he doesn’t want to go to jail.
Be careful! Some scam artists can adopt the identity of someone you know in order to extort money. Ask questions only your friend would know the answer to. Above all else, don't do anything without verifying the person's identity and talking to people around you, such as your friend’s family.
Everyone's talking about it
A friend invites you to download a new app by clicking on a link. In order to access the app, you have to provide personal information such as your date of birth or address.
This should immediately raise a red flag! It could be an attempt by scammers to use the identity of a friend to steal your identity so they can go on to scam your friends or gain access to your accounts. You should therefore keep your personal information private.