Seven victims have been scammed on Facebook, with at least $14,600 stolen from them, the police informed in a press release on Friday (2 Dec).
The scam used ‘Facebook Friends’ feature and contacted the targeted users of the Facebook platform, saying they saw the victims’ names posted in a lists of contest winners on several Facebook pages created by the scammer for this purpose.
The victims in the seven cases (aged 44 to 67), visited the pages which used names like FB Social Promotion International and Home Care Cash Grant and were asked personal details.
Then the victims were required to transfer money overseas before collecting their ‘winnings’.
The police advised the public to take the precautions when reacting to messages on social media platforms.
They reminded members of the public to:
- Be wary of messages informing you that you have won a prize, especially if you did not enter any lucky draw or contest.
- Ignore requests to make upfront payments to claim a prize. Winning a lucky draw or contest should not require advance payment.
- Check that the person you are communicating with online is really the person you know. An imposter can hack or spoof an account and take up a false identity.
