Every time we turn around there is a new scam for us to worry about and its becoming exhausting. Trying to keep up with all the different kinds of scams and the different protection methods is daunting, which is leading to success for scammers. They continue to evolve their methods to keep themselves in business.

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New Facebook Scam

There is now a new scam trend that is happening in Michigan and the rest of the country through Facebook. Facebook pages have been getting hacked for a long time but most of the time they are just trying to get you to click on a link so they can take over your page as well, now, the new scam is even more dangerous.

The new trend is not only seeking access to your page but is also trying to get you to empty your wallet as well. There have been reports of scammers hacking someone's account and making false posts about have an estate or yard sale. Many of these posts reference the person themselves or their family members having to move and not needing the listed items anymore.

This situation gets much more dangerous as well considering the talented hackers can gain access to your phone number, email, and even home address and will begin to distribute this information to seem believable. Scammers have been requesting a deposit for any items that someone is looking to purchase and that's where the scam starts.

If anyone sends them money it is as good as gone because Facebook has not been helpful in resolving issues with scams occurring on their platform. The federal Trade Commission says that millions of dollars are lost due to social media scams each year and this is going to add to that total.

How To Be Safe on Facebook

Let's be honest here, there is no way to 100% foolproof any of your accounts on any online service but you can make it difficult to hack you. The harder it is for you to be hacked the less likely hackers will take the time to get into your accounts. Hackers are attracted to the quick and easy access accounts.

Keep your password unique (not used on other sites) and do not share it with anyone. Make sure your cell phone number and email contact information are up to date on your Facebook account. Your best defense is to set up a two-factor authentication and get alerts from unrecognized logins.

With two-factor authentication, you'll be asked to enter a special login code each time someone tries to access your account from a browser or mobile device we don't recognize. If you're logged into Facebook on a computer, you can use Security Checkup to review your security settings or to set up two factor authentication. You can also get alerts about unrecognized logins.

STOP Sharing THESE Facebook POsts. They’re all SCAMS!

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Facebook

Ranking States with Most Online Scams

Here's a state-by-state look, using data available from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), ranking states by total amount of money lost to fraud.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

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