Scammers turn to Facebook Marketplace as it hits a billion users

Date:
Fri, 24 Sep 2021 15:54:07 +0000

Description:
Facebook lets scammers slip through the cracks, report claims.

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Shortly after Facebook revealed that its ecommerce platform reached the milestone of one billion active users, reports have claimed scammers are
using this growth to launch bigger campaigns.

Capitalizing off the social media giants success, ProPublica found that one Facebook Marketplace account was hacked and used to post roughly 100 scam listings for mobile phones and cars.

TechRadar Pro reached out to Facebook for a comment regarding the claims and its strategy to safeguard its users from scammers. Why not check out our list of the best social media management tools available We also have a list of
the best ecommerce hosting providers right now Heres a list of the best ecommerce tools on the market

Facebook claims to protect its users through a combination of automated systems and human reviews, but ProPublicas investigation found those
measures, put in place to protect buyers and sellers from fake accounts and scam listings, all apparently failed. Facebook Marketplace

Launched in 2016, Facebook Marketplace looked to promote the buying and selling of items with people amongst their local communities.

In April 2021, the platform hit one billion users as the global pandemic boosted the ecommerce market.

In Facebooks recent Q2 2021 results, founder and CEO, Mark Zucherberg said: "We had a strong quarter as we continue to help businesses grow and people stay connected.

"I'm excited to see our major initiatives around creators and community, commerce, and building the next computing platform coming together to start
to bring the vision of the metaverse to life."

ProPublicas investigation was a combination of internal corporate documents, interviews and law enforcement records that exposed the alleged hacking activity.

The scams included listings that violate Facebooks ecommerce policies, including a network of fake and suspicious accounts posting listings for untrustworthy male enhancement supplements.

Facebook has published a guide to help its Marketplace users avoid scammers online, including telling users to be wary of gift card scams and look out
for counterfeit items. Want to create an ecommerce website? Check out our
list of the best ecommerce website builders out there

Via ProPublica



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/scammers-turn-to-facebook-marketplace-as-it-hit s-a-billion-users/


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