BBB Warns of Scammers Wanting to “Rent” Your Social Media Page

The Better Business Bureau is warning Facebook members about a scam that offers to rent your Facebook or other social media page.

According to Dottie Calina with the Northeast Georgia Better Business Bureau, certain businesses are offering Facebook members money or free laptops in exchange for renting their pages in order to run ads.

“In some extreme cases they are even offering to send consumers a free laptop installed with software, so they can remotely access and control the advertising from the comfort of their own home,” Calina said. “These scammers tell consumers that they don’t have to do any of the advertising work in exchange for these products or money – they simply need access to your Facebook account. It may seem like a harmless agreement in exchange for the hefty reward you’re being offered but it’s actually a very dangerous deal these scammers are asking you to enter into.”

The BBB said the businesses in question are advertisers who have been banned from Facebook and other social media so they’re trying to pay regular people to use their  accounts as a front for their online advertisements.

The scammers tell consumers that they don’t have to do any of the advertising work in exchange for these products or money – they simply need access to your Facebook account.

As more people have become aware of these types of scams, Facebook and many other online publishers have begun cracking down on these deceptive ads and banning repeat offenders from utilizing their services ­­– but that’s not stopping scammers from finding a way around it.

Thankfully, this scam is pretty easy to spot because the scammer is asking consumers to do a very specific thing.

If you do encounter this scam for yourself, there are a few steps you should take to protect yourself and the people you know.

1.You can report the website directly to the BBB Scamtracker, as well as the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

2. Alert your friends and family of the scam.

3. Cease all contact with the scammer.

4. Report the fake ad to Facebook.

To report this scam or any other scam directly to the Better Business Bureau, you can go online to: Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker.