Facebook Messenger Scams: How I Lost $50 to a Fake Friend

I’ve been running into a lot of so-called “Facebook family or friends” who seem legit at first, but then end up asking for money—usually for gas or personal items.

I’ll admit, they got me once for $50. The only way I found out it was a scam was because the real friend had just called me minutes before. I asked her if she received the money, and she was completely confused. When I sent her a screenshot of the messages, she told me, “That isn’t me.”

As soon as I wrote back and asked the scammer, “Who is this?” on Messenger, I was instantly blocked.

I know I’m not the first, and I’m sure I won’t be the last. I’ve seen posts from other people saying the same thing has happened to them, even with people I don’t personally know.

So please, be careful of these “fish.” They will latch on to anyone who’s willing to throw them some bait.