Katie Haines thought she was chatting to a Wollongong grandma on Facebook when she paid for concert tickets to see country star Luke Coombs in Sydney.
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But sadly she was one of many who have been duped in the online marketplace which experts say is a "hotbed" for fraud.
Ms Haines lost $1,000 in the exchange where scammers allegedly hijacked an older woman's personal account and then used the account to sell fake tickets to see the singer at Qudos Bank Arena.
Before transferring the money, Ms Haines said she looked into the seller's account and friends list and felt it was a respectable person. She also requested evidence from Ticketek.
"I was so distraught, I was broken," Ms Haines said of when she realised she'd been scammed.
"I'm an educated person with good knowledge of technology ... and I'm really confronted by how strategic and how stealthy they are now."
Many other victims took to Facebook groups over the past week to oust the scammer who swindled them, with relatives of the grandmother coming forward to confirm their 84-year-old loved one's account had been hacked.
"I'm terrified if someone like myself is getting conned, how would my mother go? They could have gotten a lot more out of her in a lot quicker amount of time," Ms Haines said.
"It's really confronting to think they're so good, they can get people who pride themselves on not being conned."
Police were now investigating, and the victim has also alerted Facebook, but was yet to get a formal response from the social media giant.
The Mercury has chosen not to name the grandmother.
Facebook has become a hotbed for misinformation, disinformation, fraud and scams.
- Professor Shahriar Akter
Cyber expert Professor Shahriar Akter said Facebook had become a "hotbed" for fraud and scams, because most content was "not necessarily vetted", he said.
"In most cases, Facebook fails to stop criminals from using fake advertisements featuring celebrities, fake accounts, fake medical fundraisers, clickbait scams, marketing promotion scams, quiz scams, spoofing messages for money, malware attacks, romance scams or job scams," the University of Wollongong academic said.
"Although Facebook has developed a help centre to protect and recover user accounts, it is very slow in actions in most cases."
Professor Akter believed the social media giant was not doing enough to protect users, as "scams have hit record highs".
Facebook was asked for comment, but chose not to respond to any of the Mercury's questions.
Australia's consumer watchdog said there had been a 47.9 per cent increase in reports of classified and online shopping scams via social media in 2022.
In 2021 losses increased by 42.7 per cent, according to an ACCC spokeswoman.
"Many people report losing money after communicating with the scammer over email to discuss a purchase on a digital marketplace. Always conduct your transaction through a secure platform," she said.
HOW TO STAY SAFE
What the ACCC says:
- Many people report losing money after communicating with the scammer over email to discuss a purchase on a digital marketplace. Always conduct your transaction through a secure platform.
- Watch out for websites or sellers advertising at very low prices, often lower than comparable or identical items on other websites. Slow down and consider whether a sale is too good to be true.
- Be careful if the website or seller is very new. If possible, try and ascertain how many sales the seller has, and the period of time they've been selling. If the store is on social media, read the comments and search for independent reviews on the internet - noting that sometimes there may be fake positive reviews.
- If you believe your social media account has been compromised, change your password right away, use the 'forgot my password' option if you can't log in, check for recent activity, notify your contacts and make sure your security software is up to date.
- Be wary of anyone who is willing to pay maximum price and/or requesting third party collection without viewing a high value item for sale - especially when wanting to pay via PayID.
What the cyber expert says:
Professor Akter said paying cash in person was one way to ensure you get what you pay for, however it is not always viable.
- Be sceptical about sending money or personal information to people from unusual locations.
- Do not share passwords or PINs. Passwords protect your devices. If you are using a shared computer, never save passwords and always log out of your account. Create a strong password with two-factor authentication.
- If you think you have been scammed, report it to your bank immediately
- Don't click suspicious links on Facebook or Messenger.
- Don't trust anyone who offers payment to post something from your page.
What to do if you have been scammed:
- Contact your bank or financial institution as soon as possible.
- Contact the platform on which you were scammed, and inform them of the circumstances surrounding the scam.
- The ACCC encourages you to make a report on the Scamwatch website: www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam. You can also follow @scamwatch_gov on Twitter and subscribe to Scamwatch radar alerts.
- Tell your friends and family, it helps to share your experience they can offer support and you can help protect them from scams.
Desiree Savage
At the helm of Australia's premier publication for people aged over 55, covering hard hitting issues, travel, lifestyle and entertainment. Got a hot tip? Email me - edit@TheSenior.com.au
At the helm of Australia's premier publication for people aged over 55, covering hard hitting issues, travel, lifestyle and entertainment. Got a hot tip? Email me - edit@TheSenior.com.au
