Facebook Refund Scam Going Around – February 24, 2020

I was contacted by a Facebook friend about a Facebook refund they had received. They provided me a phone number which is supposedly in Dallas, but a reverse look-up shows it’s forwarded to India. This friend is either a spoofed account or was one of the early pawns to make the refund appear legitimate by giving them a refund larger than what they paid to receive the refund. I played along as my research indicated there was no real Facebook refund. I contacted through text the number provided. After wading through the junk they sent me, they informed me I needed to pay ups (guessing United Parcel Service, but they didn’t bother to capitalize it; could be they meant USPS, i.e., the Post Office) $500 to receive the package. Not only that, but the “friend” on Facebook offered to cover up to $300+ as long as I reimbursed them. I declined.

This friend was not previously a Facebook friend or I would have suspected a spoofed account as a friend can’t send you a second Facebook request as long as they are your friend. I am thinking the friend was duped by receiving money from the scammer as a way to show the refund is not a scam. That’s how smart scammers work – they send out a few real refunds to make it appear it is not a scam.