Barclays Scams Bulletin: Romance scam reports rise 20 per cent as online dating hits 30-year anniversary  — Barclays Scams Bulletin: Romance scam reports rise 20 per cent as online dating hits 30-year anniversary One in 10 UK adults have been targeted, or know someone who has been targeted, by a romance scam In the first quarter of 2025, romance scams were up 20 per cent year-on-year Victims lost £8,000 on average last year, increasing to £19,000 for those 61 and over Three quarters of consumers want tech companies to do more to prevent romance scammers on their platforms The Barclays Scams Bulletin tracks scam data across personal and business current accounts, paired with expert commentary from Barclays digital safety experts

Avoiding Investment and Payment Scams Online  — Takeaways We are sharing tips and product tools across Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram to help people avoid online investment and payment scams. Since the start of 2024, we have detected and disrupted over seven million accounts associated with scam centers across Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines. To help protect people targeted by scammers across the internet, we’re also supporting the FBI’s Level Up program, which aims to minimize financial loss from investment scams linked to known scam centers.

Bitdefender exposes Facebook ad scams using fake crypto sites and celebrity lures to spread malware via malicious desktop clients and PowerShell scripts.  — A persistent malware campaign is exploiting Facebook’s advertising network to target cryptocurrency enthusiasts, security researchers at Bitdefender revealed today. The operation leverages the trusted names of major cryptocurrency exchanges like Binance and TradingView, and images of celebrities such as Elon Musk and Zendaya in Facebook ads to lend credibility to the fake cryptocurrency exchange promotions and lure unsuspecting users into downloading malicious software.

What you should know about the missing officer Facebook scam  — VANDALIA — Have you seen a Facebook post about a missing officer named Carolyn Lynch? [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] If so, Vandalia Police say the information is false and a scam, according to a social media post. A post circulating on Facebook claims that an officer named Carolyn Lynch has gone missing and urges users to spread the word. “The accounts will then be used to push out other scams and links involved in fraudulent activity,” the department said. “These posts will be in the form of missing children, suspects on surveillance, cutting off catalytic converters, or other items which people share frequently.”

“Upgrade Scams” Are SCARING Everyone on Facebook Marketplace—Here’s How to Stay Safe  — Online outlets such as Facebook Marketplace have changed the way we shop—and sell things that no longer bring us joy. Secondhand shopping is not just sustainable and affordable, it’s also way more accessible, allowing us to buy and sell from our phones rather than hunting through bargain bins. Now, as tariffs rise, we anticipate many of us will start turning to Facebook Marketplace as a preferred source for home decor. It’s also ideal for those looking to declutter in a sustainable fashion—while also making a few bucks. If you’re trying to give a piece of decor that you no longer need a second home, it's a great place to start.

Hacker turns New Jersey woman's Facebook account against her, tries to scam her friends  — For months, Sherri Evans says she's been fighting to regain access to her Facebook account and the many priceless memories locked away with it. The South Jersey woman, like many users, has been uploading family photos to her page for years. That all stopped in February when she was locked out of the account by a hacker.

That ‘missing teen’ Facebook post could be a new scam  — You’re scrolling through your Facebook feed, and you see a post from someone in your city asking for help finding a missing teen. She has been gone for 48 hours since she left a friend’s house, and the post shows a picture of her. “It takes two seconds to share,” the post points out, asking everyone to get the word out. However, before you hit the “share” button, you should know this: it’s probably a scam.

I lost $500 getting scammed on Facebook Marketplace: 4 red flags I shouldn’t have ignored  — I’ve been writing about personal finance for about seven years now, and my beat has included ample reporting on various financial scams and how to identify them. I know several red flags to look out for and what steps everyone should take to protect themselves from ill-intentioned actors in the real world and online. Still, I fell for a scam this spring that cost me $500.