Most people reading this may have heard or experienced this scam firsthand and some may have even fallen victim to these scammers. In any case, the purpose of this post is to expose the tactics used by criminals to steal from unsuspecting victims via online communities and e-commerce platforms like Facebook, Online Marketplaces, Jiji, Olist, Online Discussion Forums etc.
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platform used by millions of Nigerians for socializing and connecting with family and friends, as well as for business purposes especially buying and selling of goods and services through the Pages, Groups and Marketplace that the platform provides.
The Tactics Scammers Use To Scam Their Victims On Facebook and Other Platforms.
The tactics of these scammers revolve around posting items for sale in multiple Facebook groups and other platforms at very ridiculous prices. I call the prices ridiculous because that’s what they are.
For example a scammer can post a fairly used 3.5kva generator for 30000 Naira or a clean 42 inches HD TV for say 40000 Naira with actual pictures of the items and receipts to attract their victim’s and gain trust.
Sometimes they use real convincing profiles to post these items, for example a real Facebook account with profile photos, friends, business information etc. And some may even use hacked Facebook accounts to impersonate real individuals and businesses.
Once an unsuspecting victim is lured by this ridiculous price tag placed on the item, they proceed to engage in discussion with the scammer via FB messenger, WhatsApp or phone call to discuss and negotiate.
These scammers always find out their victim’s location by checking the victim’s profile on the platform or even asking them about their location during interaction, once they know the location, they will then tell the the victim that they themselves are located in another state and will need to waybill the item to the unsuspecting victim.
They tell the victim to send money for the waybill or even request for part payment for the item right after deceiving the victim with pictures of the item ready for waybill ( real photos) and a phone call they will put across to the victim who speaks with their accomplice posing as a driver at the motor park or staff of the waybill office..
Once the victim pays the money requested for the waybill or part payment, the scammers abscond with it.
Some may ask, can’t the scammers be reported since they used their personal bank account details to receive the payment?
The answer is yes they can be reported, but the bank will request for a statement from the police before they can take any step to block the scammers account. If one also decides to go to the police to make a report or get the said statement, at this point I’ll say it is a useless process from my experience, needless to go into the details, but most of us know what I mean.
So How Can One Prevent This Type Of Scam From Happening?
* The answer to this is. AVOID GREED! When the price of an item is too good to be true, then it probably is SCAM.
* One should Never pay for goods or services online first before receiving them.
How Can One Identify These Scammers?
There are vital signs to look out for in order to identify a scammer on any of these online platforms:
1. Most of the scammers create and use multiple user accounts on the same platform to avoid getting exposed by their previous victims. So check their profile to see how long the account has existed. An account of say 1 month, 1 week or few days old is suspicious and may belong to a scammer.
2. On a platform like Facebook, check the number of friends the suspect has, most times they create new accounts and just add few individuals as friends or may not even have any friends at all which is a red flag to note.
3. In the case of a platform like a discussion forum, sometimes doing a quick search of the suspected scammer’s phone number or username in the forum site can display results showing comments which may be warning others about that particular user or phone number.
In Conclusion
No matter what, never send money to any seller online before receiving the goods or services.
Stay safe online.
