How to avoid Facebook scams

Facebook can be fun for catching up on the latest news and chatting with old friends. But it’s also a place scammers go to victimize unsuspecting social media users.

On Monday, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office warned of such a scam that’s promising a phony $50 coupon to Lowe’s for completing an online survey. But it’s likely nothing more than a phishing attempt, the agency said.

You can help protect yourself against falling prey to scams circulating on Facebook with these tips from the Better Business Bureau. They are borrowed in their original form from www.bbb.org.

▪ Be wary of accepting friend requests from people you don’t know.

▪ Before accepting a friend request from a stranger, check out their profile. A recently created page with little or no posts or other information may be a fake.

▪ Be cautious when accepting friend requests from someone you thought you were already friends with. Many times scammers create a false version of a friend or family member’s profile to try to gain personal information. If you see a request from someone you are already friends with, contact that person directly and let them know there may be an issue with their account.

▪ Never wire money, provide debit or credit card numbers, or prepaid debit card identification numbers to someone you don’t know!

▪ Report any fake profiles and fraud attempts to Facebook. You can do this by clicking on the three dots at the bottom right corner of the profile’s cover photo.

▪ File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

▪ If you have been targeted by one of these scam, share as many details as possible on BBB Scam Tracker at bbb.org/scamtracker.

This story was originally published April 24, 2017 at 1:55 PM with the headline "How to avoid Facebook scams."