Don’t Fall For This New Scam on Colorado Facebook Groups

It seems like you have to watch your back everywhere you go these days. Even more so online now, more than ever. Scammers have gotten smarter and they have created fake profiles and they target as many people as they can, especially on Facebook.

I have noticed an influx of scammers lately peddling a new scam on Facebook buy-and-sell groups. While the service may seem legit, you're not going to get what you pay for. These new scams are targeting people in Colorado looking to have their vehicles cleaned. Instead, the scammers are taking unsuspecting victims to the cleaners.

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Every day, I see at least a dozen of these new car detailing scams in Northern Colorado Facebook buy-sell-trade groups I am in. These scammers are offering what appears to be a great deal to clean your vehicle at a cheap price. However, you will not be getting a clean ride from one of these people.

Car Detailing Scams on Facebook

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These car detailing scams on Facebook are kind of tricky to spot. The ad seems legitimate, but they do not divulge the prices. They only say cheap or will add something to the post saying that they are just starting a business, or try to pull on your emotional heartstrings by stating they are a small business struggling.

More often than not, these scammers will not give you any information about the specific business, the name of the business, etc. They will usually ask for your phone number so they can text you a code to see if you are a real person. Do not participate in this as it can lead to chaos in your life as they can gain access to important personal information.

How to Spot a Scammer on Facebook

Scammers have gotten smarter over the years using Facebook. These people, if you want to call them that, will use convincing photos of the services they are offering, but they are all the same across the country and not real photos. There are also numerous things you can look out for to spot a scammer and not get taken.

• Facebook name. Usually, the scammers are using two first names. Here are a couple of examples of what I have seen: Charles Caleb, John William, Jason Anthony, Lisa Brittany, Tiffany Samantha, etc.
• Check their Facebook profile. This is an easy way to spot a Facebook scammer. If they have only a few photos, their profile was recently created, show no friends, share posts from pages like "I Love America" or a bunch of random photos shared from years ago is usually a good identifier.
• Check the Facebook user's URL. This can also be a great way to see if the person is legitimate. You will want to look at the URL that says Facebook.com/FIRST NAME-LAST NAME. These usually do not match with the name given on the Facebook profile, but sometimes they will.

Stay safe while you are online. We all want to use local businesses in Northern Colorado, but be sure you are using a legitimate business and not being scammed. Identity theft is at an all-time high and we hope you never fall victim to one of these scams.