“Rent Your Facebook” Ad Scam

Beware the email—even from someone you think you know—that wants to “rent” your Facebook ad space.

Who Is It Targeting: Facebook users

What Is It: A promise of free money for letting someone else post an ad on your Facebook wall

What Are They After: This scam is tricky because it’s pretty hard to figure out what the scammer is trying to get. It doesn’t seem like there’s a direct tie-in to your finances, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t information to be stolen. Even if it’s real and they’re just posting ads (which Facebook says isn’t true), you don’t control what ads go up under your name.

In a fairly well-written email, you’re asked to turn over a lot of personal information, including your Facebook Ad Manager ID#. The promise is that you’ll be paid a small amount of money—just enough to make it useful but also be believable—for letting the sender post ads on your Facebook wall. While Facebook’s customer service has said this is a scam, even if this is genuine, it’s never a good idea to give someone else free rein to post content on your behalf.

Important note: Too many people have commented on Facebook’s post about this scam, stating that they fell for it and were never paid.

How Can You Avoid It:

• Don’t fall for promises of “easy” money online.
• Your social media wall isn’t a billboard for others to use, it’s a place that ties directly back to you.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from Facebook.com.