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Facebook has become a prominent place for scams because it combines a very large audience with inexpensive ways to reach people, personal details that can help tailor a pitch, and accounts and ads that can be abused to borrow trust. In the FTC’s 2025 consumer-report data, Facebook had the highest reported scam losses of any social-media platform. That is a comparison of reported losses—not a count of every scam or a complete measure of fraud.

What the numbers say—and what they do not

The Federal Trade Commission’s analysis of consumer reports for 2025 found that reported losses from scams that started on Facebook exceeded those associated with any other social-media platform. The FTC also said reported Facebook losses were higher than losses reported for scams that started through text messages or email. Its figures describe what people reported, not every victim or the full amount lost. Reports were not collected during the 2025 government shutdown, so the reported totals are not a complete annual tally.

Across social media, nearly 30% of people who reported losing money to a scam said it began on a social platform; reported losses from social-media scams reached $2.1 billion. The FTC says scammers can use social media to reach billions of people at low cost, but the figures do not establish that Facebook alone causes scams or explain how much any single platform feature contributes. The FTC’s 2025 social-media scam analysis provides the underlying context.

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Why Facebook can be useful to scammers

Reach without the cost of contacting people one by one

A scammer can approach people through posts, messages, or ads rather than finding each target offline. The FTC describes social media as a low-cost route to a vast audience. That opportunity helps explain why the platforms are attractive, but it does not prove that reach by itself is the cause of Facebook’s reported losses.

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Personal details can make a pitch feel convincing

Information visible in public or accessible posts can help a fraudster personalize a message. A detail about a job, family member, trip, or interest may make a fabricated emergency or offer sound plausible. Limiting who can see posts and contact details reduces what is available to build a tailored approach.

Compromised accounts can borrow someone else’s credibility

A message appearing to come from a friend, relative, business, or public figure can seem trustworthy even when the account has been hijacked or impersonated. Meta warns about urgent “friend in need” requests and fake support messages that seek passwords or two-factor authentication codes. If a request is unusual, confirm it through a phone number or other contact method you already trust—not by replying to the account that sent it. Meta’s guidance on scams explains these warning signs.

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Ads can bridge a familiar feed to an unfamiliar seller

A social-media ad may lead to a fake shop, a lookalike brand site, or a page with no reliable seller behind it. In the FTC’s 2025 data, more than 40% of people who lost money to a social-media scam said it began with an order after seeing an ad. This is a reported route into scams, not evidence that every ad—or every Facebook ad—is fraudulent.

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Common Facebook scam patterns

The scam types differ in how they begin and what they ask people to do. Shopping scams were the most reported social-media scam type in the FTC’s 2025 data; investment scams produced the largest reported losses.

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Scam type Typical hook and request Evidence and useful check
Shopping and fake goods An unusually cheap offer, a brand lookalike, or an ad leading to an unfamiliar site; the victim is asked to pay for goods. The most reported social-media scam type in the FTC’s 2025 data. Buyers reported missing goods, counterfeits, or items unlike the listing. Search the seller or company name with “scam” or “complaint,” and check directly whether the business offers the deal.
Investment scams An investment ad, a friendly adviser who builds trust, or a group chat filled with supposedly successful investors; the victim is urged to send money. Reported social-media investment losses totaled $1.1 billion in 2025, more than half of reported social-media scam losses. Fake platforms may display invented profits and sometimes allow a small withdrawal to encourage larger deposits. Do not let someone known only through social media direct your investment decisions.
Romance scams and sextortion A relationship built through messages, followed by an invented emergency, an investment pitch, or threats to expose intimate images unless money is paid. Nearly 60% of people who reported romance-scam losses in 2025 said the scam started on social media. Treat requests for money or investment advice from an online-only contact as a reason to stop and verify independently.
Job and business-opportunity scams A job offer or promise of business income that leads to requests for money or personal information. One in three people who reported losses to job or business-opportunity scams in 2025 said the scam began on social media. Verify the organization and the offer through a channel you find independently before sharing information or paying.
Rental scams A copied property listing with the scammer’s contact details substituted; the victim is pressed to pay or provide documents before proper verification. About half of rental-scam reports in the 12 months ending June 2025 said the scam began with a fake Facebook ad. Check for duplicate listings and conflicting contact details, compare the price with similar local rentals, and do not pay before verifying the property and arrangement.

The FTC’s figures above are based on reports and should not be read as a ranking of all scams. For rental-specific warning signs, see the FTC’s rental-scam analysis.

How to reduce the risk before you click, buy, or reply

  • Limit profile visibility. Review who can see your posts and personal details; less accessible information gives a scammer less material for a personalized approach.
  • Check sellers outside the ad. Search the business name with “scam” or “complaint,” find the company’s genuine website independently, and confirm the offer there. Be especially cautious of implausibly low prices, unfamiliar sites, and brand lookalikes.
  • Keep investment decisions out of social-media chats. Promises of high returns with little risk, pressure to act quickly, or a group of supposed investors are warning signs. Do not take investment direction from a person you know only online.
  • Verify urgent requests through another route. Call the person using a number you already have, or contact them through a separate trusted channel. Do not rely on the account or message making the request.
  • Do not hand over login credentials or codes. Treat unsolicited messages claiming to be Meta support—especially urgent requests to log in—as suspicious. Avoid their login links, and never share a password or two-factor authentication code.
  • Check rentals before paying or sending sensitive information. Look for duplicate listings, inconsistent prices or contact details, and rents far below comparable nearby homes. Verify the property and rental arrangement before providing documents or money.

The FTC’s consumer guide to avoiding scams offers additional practical checks.

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What to do if a Facebook interaction looks fraudulent

  1. Stop the transaction or conversation. Do not send more money, share a verification code, or follow a suspicious login link.
  2. Verify independently. If the message claims to be from someone you know, use a separate contact route you already trust. If it claims to come from a business or support team, find the organization’s contact information yourself rather than using the message’s link.
  3. Report the suspected fraud to the FTC. Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC says reports help it investigate and stop fraud.

What Meta says it is doing

Meta says it removed more than 159 million scam ads in 2025, with 92% removed before anyone reported them, and took down 10.9 million Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with criminal scam centers. These are company-reported enforcement actions. They do not independently show how many scams remain, what share of all scam content was removed, or how effective enforcement is overall. Meta’s statement on its anti-scam work describes the company’s actions and partnerships.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

The FTC is also seeking public comment on the role of platform ad optimization in impersonation scams. Its September 2026 notice is an inquiry about whether rules should change, not a finalized requirement or a court finding about Facebook. The FTC notice sets out the request for comment.

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  • 【Superior Privacy and Anti Glare】- Our advanced multi-layered film filter blacks out your computer screen when viewing from the side, while maintaining a crystal clear screen straight-on. It also protects your eyes from harmful glare, UV, and blue light. [Note: It does not block visibility directly behind you, regardless of the distance.]
  • 【Perfect for Travel and Open Workspaces】- Our computer screen privacy filter is the ideal solution for healthcare providers, mobile workers, commuters, students, and business travelers. Now you can stay compliant and safeguard sensitive corporate information while working in airplanes, subways, airports and public areas.
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