The use of Facebook by scammers is on the rise, as they take advantage of the platform to push phony grant scams.A Facebook grant scam is any type of fraudulent offer that someone proclaims to be providing special grants or other financial aid, usually without requiring any type of payment, offering fees, or otherwise requesting access to personal information. The scammer often attempts to scam the victim out of money, or gain access to their personal information.The scammer typically operates through social media accounts managed by paid shills, or fake profiles set up to appear real. The person posing as the grant provider will usually approach unsuspecting Facebook users via private message or friend requests. They may also post in groups to attract a larger number of victims.When somebody accepts a phony grant offer, the scammer will usually ask for payment, personal information, or access to any accounts they manage. The scam artist will try to take control of the victim’s account, so that they can steal money or access more targets.
Victims of these scams are advised to never agree to these deals. Always report such offers to the Facebook security team. Additionally, never provide personal information, or click any links or attachments in the dubious offer. It’s also important to check the profile or page of the person who sent the offer for signs of suspicious activity.Phony grant scams can be quite hard to spot due to the shills posing as grant providers on Facebook, using stolen photos and other content.The best protection is to be vigilant and use common sense when it comes to online interaction. Never trust anyone who promises something that sounds too good to be true. Before accepting a friend request or responding to a message, always verify the identity of the sender. It’s also a good idea to run a reverse Google image search to determine if the profile picture is authentic. And never provide any banking or financial information, even if it’s over a secure website.