A fake friend scam is a scam in which scammers create a fake Facebook profile and ask to be your friend to gain access to personal information that you restrict to “friends only”.
Another type of fake friend scam is when the scammer contacts the victim, usually by phone, pretending to be the victim’s friend. Often, these crooks will not identify themselves, but instead ask victims to guess who they are, then assume the identity of a friend of the victim’s choosing.
In Fake Celebrity Scams, scammers impersonating famous people on social media is a common type of scam. They ask fans to send money for various so-called reasons — like claiming a prize, donating to a charity, or providing some sort of favor.
Family Emergency Imposter Scams, It is a common scam for scammers to pose as family members and ask for money. They sometimes use AI-powered tools to replicate the sound of audio samples of just a few sentences.
To avoid falling for these scams, it’s important to do your research and check that the claims are true, call or message family or friends who are allegedly in touch with you, and call others in your family or circle of friends to verify the information.