Scam alert – Preventing scammers from group pages

Facebook groups are helpful spaces for connecting with your local community, but they require close monitoring as they can be quickly overwhelmed by spam and scam posts. As New Zealanders lose millions every year to scams, online safety organisations such as Netsafe offer practical advice for group administrators to help protect their communities.

Facebook also offers resources for group and page administrators to keep their communities safe. Facebook advises that admins can significantly reduce scams and spam by setting clear group rules. Netsafe recommends clearly outlining what content is allowed and explicitly prohibiting advertisements or suspicious links. Admins should ensure all new members read and accept these rules before joining.

Another essential step is managing group memberships carefully. Admins are advised to ask a few screening questions before approving new members, helping to prevent fake profiles and scammers from entering the group. 

Signs of a fake Facebook profile often include a lack of personal photos or details, recently created accounts with minimal activity, and very few or no mutual friends. Fake profiles might use generic or stock profile pictures, avoid posting original content, or frequently share suspicious links. 

Additionally, these profiles often send unsolicited friend requests or messages and may exhibit poor grammar or spelling errors. Scam posters often turn off comments to prevent others from warning that a post is a scam. Monitoring posts closely is key to maintaining group safety.

Netsafe recommends that admins regularly check posts and comments for suspicious behaviour. Common red flags include urgent requests for money, links to external websites offering deals that seem too good to be true, and messages from accounts recently joined or without profile pictures or personal details.

Netsafe also encourages admins to educate group members on how to recognise scams. This could involve posting cybersecurity tips, such as never clicking unknown links or verifying unusual requests through independent sources.

In addition to Netsafe, the government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT NZ) offers support and guidance. Admins and members can report suspicious activity or scams directly to CERT NZ, which tracks and responds to cyber threats across New Zealand. Admins should also use Facebook’s built-in security features. 

Groups can set posting approvals, allowing admins to review posts before they become visible. This means admins can identify and stop potential scams such as fake property rental listings, fraudulent investment schemes, or bogus fundraising appeals before they reach group members. Facebook’s moderation tools, including keyword alerts, can flag potentially problematic posts early, making them easier to manage. Admins can set specific keywords or phrases associated with common scams,for example, “investment opportunity,” “free giveaway,” “urgent assistance needed,” or “limited time offer.” When these phrases appear in posts, admins receive notifications, allowing them to remove these posts and protect members from scams such as lottery scams, fake emergency appeals, or phishing attempts.

By following these guidelines from Netsafe and CERT NZ, Facebook admins can create safer, scam-free community spaces. Encouraging member awareness, vigilant monitoring, and proactive use of available tools ensures groups remain trusted hubs for local communities. Netsafe.org.nz social media safety/Facebook Facebook has resources for admins to help them manage their groups well. www.facebook.com/community/getting-started-with-groups/