HorkosCyber-fraud investigation
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Fake Facebook page

A fake shop, a fake giveaway, a copy of a well-known company. Making a page on Facebook is free and takes a few minutes. Here is how to tell the real from the fake.

8-minute read

On Facebook anyone can give a page any name and put any logo on it. So a name and a picture prove nothing. What proves something is the page's history, and Facebook itself shows it to you.

The main rule

To receive money you do not need card details or an SMS code.

A prize, a gift, a refund or the price of an item — to receive money, only an account number is needed. Whoever asks for more intends to take money.

What kinds of fake pages there are

A fake shop

A low price and payment in advance. It takes the money and disappears. The signs are the same as those of a fake Instagram shop.

A fake giveaway

“We are giving away a phone — share and comment”. Then the “winner” is asked for a delivery fee or card details.

A copy of a well-known company

A real company's name and logo, but the page is new. It writes to you as “customer support” and sends you a link.

A fake investment ad

A famous person's photo and a “government programme” that promises you thousands a month. The link goes to a fake investment site.

Where the page history is shown

This is the most reliable check: nobody can fake a page's age and its name changes.

  1. Open the page itselfA post or an ad is not enough: tap the page's name.
  2. Find “Page transparency”It is in the page's information section: About → Page transparency.
  3. Read three thingsWhen the page was created, how many times its name changed, and which country it is run from.

Suspicious

  • The page is a few days or weeks old, yet it has a well-known company's name
  • It used to have a completely different name
  • It is run from a country that has no connection with this company

Normal

  • The page has existed for years
  • The name has not changed
  • The company's official site links to this page

The simplest way: open the company's official site and go to Facebook from there. That way you cannot land on a fake page.

8 signs that a page is fake

One sign proves nothing yet. Several together are enough to make you stop.

  1. The page is new

    A “big company” whose page was created last week and has five posts.

  2. The name has been changed

    Yesterday it was called something else. Ready-made pages are bought together with their followers, and their names are changed.

  3. The address has random letters and numbers

    A real page has a short and clear address. A fake one has numbers or the words “official” and “support” added at the end.

  4. It writes to you first

    “Congratulations, you have won” or “Your account will be blocked”. A real company does not start a private message like this.

  5. It sends you a link and rushes you

    The link goes outside Facebook, and there you are asked for card details or a password. This is phishing.

  6. A giveaway asks you to share and pay

    First “share it in 10 groups”, then “pay $5 for delivery”. That $5 is there so that you enter your card details.

  7. Comments are turned off or identical

    “I got mine too, thank you!” — ten times, from new profiles that do not even have a photo.

  8. It asks for money to a private person's card

    A company that takes money to someone's personal card is not a company.

If a page sends you a link, paste it into Horkos before you open it. We will see how old that site is and whether it is on lists of fraudulent sites.

If you are selling: the “payment link”

This trick cheats the seller, not the buyer.

  1. You post an adYou are selling an item on Facebook or on a classifieds site.
  2. The “buyer” agrees straight awayDoes not bargain, does not want to see the item, and says they will send a courier.
  3. Sends you a link“I have already paid, you will receive it through this link.” The page looks like a courier or payment service.
  4. The page asks for your card detailsThe number, the expiry date, the CVV code, and then an SMS code. At this moment the money is taken from your card.

Remember: to receive money, an account number is enough. The CVV code and the SMS code are used only by the person paying, not by the person receiving.

If you have already been scammed

Act right away: the first hours matter a lot.

  1. If you entered card details — block the cardIn your bank's app, or by calling the number written on the back of the card.
  2. If you entered a password — change itFirst your email's, then Facebook's. Turn on two-factor authentication.
  3. Keep the evidenceScreenshots of the messages, the page's link, the link they sent you, and receipts.
  4. Go to the policeTake everything you saved.
  5. Report it to FacebookOn the page, tap the three dots, choose Report Page and say that it is a scam.
  6. Warn the people close to youEspecially if they also got messages from your account.

Checklist

You can print it (Ctrl+P) or send it to someone close to you.

Before you trust a page

  • I saw when the page was created
  • The name has not been changed
  • I went to the page from the company's official site
  • I checked the link they sent me
  • I do not give anyone my card details or an SMS code
  • To receive money, I give only my account number

If you have already been scammed

  • I blocked the card
  • I changed my passwords
  • I kept the messages and the links
  • I went to the police
  • I reported the page to Facebook

Frequently asked questions

The page has a well-known company's name and logo. Does that mean it is real?

No. Copying a name and a logo takes a minute. Look at Page transparency: a real company's page has existed for years. A page created yesterday with a well-known name is fake.

I won a giveaway and they ask me for a delivery fee. Should I pay?

No. A real giveaway does not ask the winner for money or card details. The “delivery fee”, “tax” or “account confirmation” is there to trick you out of your card details.

I am selling an item and the buyer sent me a link so that I receive the money. Is that normal?

No. To receive money you never need full card details, a CVV code or an SMS code. The person paying needs only your account number. Such a link does not send money to you — it takes it from your card.

In an ad, a famous person recommends an investment to people. Should I trust it?

No. Ads made with famous people's photos and fake videos are the most common bait of fake investments. More: fake investment.

This article is for information only. It does not replace legal or financial advice.