Greg's Corner

BBB warns of new Facebook Messenger scam targeting US workers

By Greg Collier

An untold number of people around the world use Facebook Messenger as their primary form of communication. Even in America, many users of Messenger have replaced their phone carrier’s text message app with Messenger. This has given rise to just as many scams on Messenger that have plagued text message users.

One of the more infamous Messenger scams is the government grant scam. In that scam, scammers gain access to a friend’s Facebook account. They’ll then use the friend’s Messenger account to message the victim. The message usually contains something along the lines of that they just received a large federal grant to help pay their bills. The ‘friend’ will then tell the victim that they should apply for this grant, along with instructions on how to request the grant. The victim will be directed to someone posing as the government, who will ask the victim for a processing fee before issuing the grant. At this point, the scammer will either disappear or will keep luring the victim with the promise of a large grant payment if the victim just keeps paying money for additional fees.

According to a Better Bureau Office in Texas, they’ve received notice about a similar Messenger scam happening in their area. The BBB is saying the scam is targeting people who are owed workers’ compensation. It’s unclear how scammers are obtaining these lists. However, what the scammers are doing is using Messenger to contact the people entitled to workers’ comp, and posing as a service that can get their workers’ comp for them. Of course, this involves paying a fee to the scammers. Much like the grant scams, the scammers will disappear after getting the payment or try to milk the victims for more money.

However, there are ways to protect yourself from these scams. If a friend messages you about a money making opportunity, use a way to get a hold of them besides Messenger to find out if they meant to send that message. The BBB also recommends that you should never pay money to get money. If money is owed to you through a business or the government, you shouldn’t have to pay any money to get your payout. Lastly, like most scams, if the person asking for money asks for it in non-traditional means like cryptocurrency, gift cards, or pre-paid debit cards, you’re more than likely talking to a scammer.