LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– Social media advertising is an effective way for small business to get the word out about their products. And unfortunately, the same goes for scams.
According to Chris Babin of the BBB, “Small businesses use social media to advertise a lot but really anybody can advertise anything they like on Facebook so be very leary of the ads you see on social media. Legitimate small businesses do use that as an avenue for marketing but there are scammers pretending to sell products and services as well that you’re not receiving a product. They’re just trying to steal your information.”
The BBB has received thousands of complaints about misleading Facebook and Instagram ads. Online purchase scams were the most common cons reported.
“Do a little bit of research who created the app and check your privacy settings about what the app gets from your phone because some of these apps in an effort to steal our information. When you download an application, we all typically just agree to the privacy policy. We encourage you if it’s not a reputable app that you’re familiar with, definitely check at what you’re agreeing to before you allow that application to download on your phone,”says Babin.
Here’s how to protect yourself from social media scams:
- Before making a purchase, do a quick search for the business in question.
- Search for previous complaints. Do a google search of the business name followed by “Complaints, reviews or…
