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Scam Alerts Guide

Is That 50% Off Ad in Your Feed a Scam?

Short answer: maybe, and social media platforms won't necessarily catch it for you. Anyone can pay to run an ad, including scammers.

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Why the ad looks so trustworthy

It's sitting right in your feed, mixed in with posts from friends and pages you follow, so it feels vetted just by being there. It isn't. Social media platforms don't always thoroughly check the ads you see or the people behind them, which means scammers impersonating real brands, or selling knockoffs outright, can run ads exactly like a legitimate business would.

People reported losing more than $95 million in a single year to purchases that started with an ad seen on social media, and since a lot of fraud goes unreported, the real number is likely higher.

What makes it worse

These ads can be personalized based on your own browsing and interests, which makes them feel even more relevant and trustworthy than a random pop-up ever could. A well-targeted fake ad for a brand you'd genuinely want doesn't look like a scam, it looks like the algorithm finally showing you something good.

The 30-second check before you buy

  1. Search the company's name plus the word "scam" or "complaint" before entering any payment details.
  2. If nothing comes up at all, that's a red flag too, a real brand has a history online, reviews, a real website, social presence beyond one ad.
  3. If you only find complaints, or a wave of very recent, very similar-sounding reviews, skip it.
  4. Check your ad and privacy settings to understand how personalized ads are being chosen for you in the first place.

Source: FTC — Are ads on social media vetted or checked for scams?

Want the full playbook?

This is one trick out of dozens. The Scam-Proof Playbook covers online shopping scams, social media scams, AI voice cloning, and more, in plain language, with real examples.