January 5, 2026

6 Facebook Scams You Need To Be Aware Of (updated for 2026)

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Each day I see more and more people on falling for these Facebook Scams – here’s what to look out for and keep yourself and your money safe.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I bloody love Facebook. It’s the platform where I spend the majority of my social media time and I probably spend way more time on it than I should.

However, recently I’ve been seeing more and more of my friends and family sharing and falling various Facebook Scams.

6 Facebook Scams You Need To Be Aware Of

Scammers really are everywhere and will do whatever they can to get their hands on your personal details such as email addresses and passwords.

In this post I am going to talk about the three most prevalent Facebook Scams I see day to day, the best ways to avoid being duped and what you can do to keep yourself and your money safe while online.

1. Fake Facebook Competitions

I love entering competitions and will always enter any if they pop up on my news feed. But I’m seeing more and more of my friends and family sharing fake competitions which no one will ever win. These competitions are actually what’s known as Like Farming and are most commonly to win things like cars, caravans, cash and holidays.

A page will be set up with a fake competition which encourages people to ‘Like, share and comment’. Their friends see this and do the same and within a few days the page can easily have built up thousands upon thousands of likes.

These types of pages will often ask you to ‘Sign Up’ with your email address to be entered – again this is part of the scam – your email address will likely be sold on and you will be bombarded with spam.

The Facebook page will then be sold to a company or business that will re-brand it with their own details and be able to get their product in front of thousands of potential customers with very little effort.

Have you ever seen a company pop up on your news feed and thought ‘I don’t remember liking that page?’ this could well be an example of like farming.

How to Spot a Fake Facebook Competition

There are a few simple ways you can tell if a competition is fake:

Often the Prize is ridiculous and expensive. ‘Win an RV – we have 18 to Giveaway!’ ‘Win a two-week break at Center Parcs!’ (Center Parcs don’t even have an option for staying two weeks) ‘Win one of brand new 5 BMWs!’ if the prize sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
Take a close look at the pictures being used – I’ve seen Fake Competitions for Center Parcs breaks where none of the pictures are actually from a Center Parcs resort. Also check the spelling as fake pages often use ‘Centre Parks’ instead of ‘Center Parcs’
Look out for the Blue Tick – Often these fake pages are masquerading as a big company such as Virgin or Tui. Most well-known big businesses will have a Blue Tick next to their name to show they are the real deal. A fake page will not have this.
Scroll through the page – often they will only have two or three other posts and these are usually pictures of what the competition is for, most commonly holidays.
Read some of the comments – if you can bear the hundred and one sob stories from people who haven’t had a holiday in ten years – there are usually a few people commenting that it’s fake and they are usually right.
All real competitions will have a clear end date – and should also have a link to terms and conditions.
Asking users to share as competition entry is actually against Facebook policy – as shares can’t be tracked if people have strict privacy settings switched on. A lot of companies (even legitimate ones) ignore this. You can choose to share if you would like to but it can’t be a requirement of entry.

Despite there being lots of fake competitions out there, I still love comping. Take a look at these posts if it’s something you’d like to get started with.

Becoming A Comper (Plus 6 Comping Tips)

What Are The Best Days To Enter Competitions?

Comping Tips: How To Win A Holiday

A Day in the Life of a Comper

2. The Funny Name Meme Facebook Scam

Who doesn’t love a funny Facebook Meme?

What is becoming especially common are those that ask you to create a funny name for yourself such as:

‘What is your elf name?’ and ‘How to find your unicorn name!’

They usually ask for the first letter of your first name and the month of your birth. These aren’t too bad as they aren’t getting too specific.

However, there are a few of these types of memes that are actually Facebook Scams out to steal your personal details – here’s how.

Take a look at this one below (please excuse the NSFW language!)

3 Facebook Scams You Need To Be Aware Of

It asks for the month you were born, which isn’t too uncommon. It then asks for some pretty specific dates regarding your birthday.

Date of birth is always asked online when signing up to anything, including banking and this Meme narrows it down to just 3 or 4 potential days.

A quick scroll through your profile pictures might then giveaway the year, especially if you’ve recently had a big birthday.

Another Facebook Scam from recent years was one that asked people for their ‘Porn Star Name’ which included using their mother’s maiden name and the name of their first pet.

These are very often security questions used online so revealing them on Facebook is never a good idea.

3. Facebook Scams: Fake Rental Properties

This has been a huge problem in my hometown in recent months with several people getting scammed out of several hundred pounds.

Rental properties are currently pretty scarce where I live. We are the nearest town to the Hinkley Point C Power Station development and therefore have had a huge influx of people coming into the town for work.

Many people have started looking to Facebook when searching for a property to rent – hoping either to find something that hasn’t been previously advertised elsewhere or to avoid steep letting agent fees.

However, in recent months many people have been scammed with fake property rentals. Someone will reply to their request on a local buying and selling group saying they have a property to rent and to message them privately for further details.

If the person likes the look of the property they will be asked for a holding deposit to show they are genuinely interested and for the property to be taken off of the market so to speak.

This is common practice.

However, in the Facebook Scams version, once the money has been transferred the person they were planning on renting from disappears and their Facebook profile is deleted. You are now £200 worse off and now need to continue your property search.

As the conversation took place in private it’s unlikely anyone from the local area would have come forward to attest that the property wasn’t actually up for rent and there are currently people happily in situ.

This happens particularly when people are moving to a new area of which they have no knowledge.

Here are some ways ays to avoid this particular Facebook Scam

Use An Agent

While using an agent may seem like a waste of money they are there to stop this sort of thing happening, and paying their fees could well save you money in the long term.

Stalk The Scammer’s Facebook Profile

Have a good look at the person’s profile.

Do they have many friends?

Are they from the local area?

One lady that was pulling this scam where I live had her hometown listed as New York and ‘currently living’ as Chicago.

Not impossible, but fairly unlikely this person would be renting out property in a small Somerset town.

Also, her profile picture appeared to be several different women when looking through.

Stay Safe When Paying

Paying by direct bank transfer does leave you with much less protection than using Paypal or a Credit Card – always use this method if you can.

Avoiding Facebook Property Scams: Ask Around

Don’t be afraid to ask others what they think – if you’re not familiar with the local area ask in local Facebook groups if they’ve heard of the person you plan to rent from and find out if the property is legitimately up for rent.

4. Fake Discounted Toys Scam

This was a popular scam in the run-up to Christmas.

Facebook pages offering hugely discounted toys, such as Lego sets worth hundreds of pounds for as little as £3 each.

What made this scam believable the page used branding and colours very similar to that of the popular toy shop Smyths.

Each post also had thousands of comments from happy customers saying they were pleased with their discounted Lego set, that it had arrived quickly etc, there were even pictures of them building the sets.

Of course, every one of these comments was fake. But these positive comments help to bury all the negative ones from people who have been scammed.

If you tried to buy these toys, you likely wouldn’t receive anything, your details such as your email address and phone number would be sold on to marketers and you may even have signed up to a subscription service without realising it which you would be charged for monthly.

How To Spot These Facebook Toy Scams

If an offer seems too good to be true, it usually is.
The page name is usually something generic like ‘Online Toy Shop’.
The page won’t have a blue tick but they may have one in their images.
The page will have very few likes but hundreds of comments on their posts.

If you have bought a toy through one of these pages it’s probably worth contacting your bank so they can block any further transactions.

5. Missing Dog Scam

Dog thefts are becoming more and more common and this scam is an awful one which prays on people’s vulnerability after their dog has been stolen.

When dogs go missing, owners often post on Facebook to try and help find their beloved pet. Posts get thousands of shares, which in theory should make it harder for thieves to sell the dog on to a new family.

However, this has also led to a rise in scammers who pretend to be the dog thief in order to illicit money from the bereft owners.

The scammer will demand that the owners do not contact the police and the dog will be returned once thousands of pounds have been paid.

In this case, the scammer doesn’t have the dog, they just use details gleaned from missing posters on Facebook to make it sound as though they do.

Owners desperate to get their dog back will often pay up before realizing they have been scammed when the dog isn’t returned.

6. Fake Friend Scam

Have you seen an increase in your friends making new profiles on Facebook recently?

Often, it’s not your friend getting locked out of their account but a scammer pretending to be them. The scammer will copy all of their information and photos and send requests to all of their friends.

If some friends have accepted, it may even look like you have friends in common making the fake, scam profile look legit.

After some time, the fake profile may start to post some dodgy links to things like investments or Crypto. They may even DM you asking for money.

Never accept a friend request from someone you’re already friends with on Facebook. If you think the new profile might be genuine, try reaching out by text or email to check before accepting.

Facebook Scams – FAQs

How Common Are Facebook Scams?

Unfortunately, Facebook scams are pretty common, especially as it can take a while for people to realise that’s what they are.

Scams in all areas of our lives are becoming more sophisticated and can be tricky to spot, especially for those who might be less savvy on social media and take everything they see at face value.

Are There Any Other Facebook Scams I Should Be Aware Of?

This post has covered three of the most common Facebook scams that I’m aware of, but of course, it isn’t exhaustive.

One other scam to be aware of is sending money before buying items on Facebook and then the seller not sending or delivering that item.

Facebook offers little protection in this area, so my advice would be always to use Paypal (not friends and family – pay the extra for goods and services as it’s worth it if something goes wrong.

You also need to be aware of the ‘Nigerian Prince Scam’ where men target ladies of a certain age pretending to be wealthy. After weeks or even months of building a report, they will ask for money as they are somewhere and have ‘forgotten’ their credit card, been robbed or need money to visit so they can finally meet in person.

If a stranger is ever asking you for money via Facebook Messages this is a huge red flag. Always ask a trusted friend or family member what they think before sending any cash, no matter how pushy the other person is being.

What Should I Do If I’ve Been Scammed On Facebook?

This will depend on the type of scam and whether you’ve lost money or just been signed up for spammy emails and calls.

If it’s the latter then I recommend liberal use of the block button.

For anything else, it’s best to seek professional advice. My first port of call in this situation would either be your bank if you’re concerned money could be or has been taken or citizens’ advice for anything else.

In the case of the missing dog scam, you may want to involve the police.

Citizens Advice offer a scam helpline if you’re worried – find all the details on their website by clicking here.

Fiona Hawkes