The dreaded Facebook Lego scam

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 Our greatest fear, as fairly vulnerable seniors, is scammers. They are so crafty and are known to be using the full strength of AI in mastering their deception. Just before Christmas my daughter, who is super careful, got hacked as in ransom ware and bitcoin demands. With the help of IT friends she managed to save the day and after several sleepless nights and lots of password changing she finally could relax.

Just before Christmas a friend bought a wonderful used set of Lego for a £5 on Facebook Marketplace. It was a scam, no Lego arrived and £1,000s of transactions had to be stopped. Fortunately they picked up on it quickly and were able to get the the scam dealt with by the bank.

Scammers use several methods to get your money through Facebook scams:-

  • Fake Websites: They create websites that look like legitimate retailers, like LEGO, and ask you to enter your payment details to make a purchase
  • Phishing Links: Scammers send links via Facebook Messenger or posts that lead to fake login pages, tricking you into entering your bank or credit card information
  • Fake Friend Requests: They send friend requests, gain access to your profile, and then send messages asking for money or personal information
  • Fake Contests or Giveaways: They claim you've won a prize and ask for payment or personal information to claim it
  • Impersonation: Scammers create fake profiles pretending to be someone you know, asking for money or personal information
Always be cautious and verify the authenticity of any requests or offers you receive on Facebook. If something seems suspicious, it's best to avoid clicking on links or sharing personal information.

Its tough as even experienced online shopper can get done!


Minimise your financial exposure
I have a Revolut card which is fabulous for travelling as it allows you to set up an account in the currency of each country you are visiting. In addition it also offers a disposable or single use card.

  • They are perfect for non-recurring online purchases where you don't need the merchant to store your card details.
  • They automatically generate new card details after one use or after 24 hours.
  • They are automatically terminated after making a payment.
  • Unlike regular virtual cards, disposable cards do not share your actual card details with vendors.
That limits your loss to the amount of the transaction and prevents being used for multiple fake transactions using your credit card information.


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