TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Setup News Ticker
   TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Searching for 'Billion Meta'. (Return)

EngadgetFeb 12, 2025
Meta warns users not to fall for romance scammers posing as celebrities or military
Think you might have met someone "attractive, single and successful" on Facebook or Instagram? You might want to think again, Meta says. Ahead of Valentine's Day, the company is once again warning users not to fall for romance scams.

These kinds of schemes, in which scammers create fictitious identities to form online relationships with unsuspecting victims, aren't exactly new. (The FTC says that people lost more than a half billion dollars to romance scams in 2021.) But the people behind these scams are apparently persistent. Meta says that already in 2025 it's taken down more than 116,000 accounts and pages across Facebook and Instagram that were linked to romance scams. In 2024, it removed more than 408,000 such accounts.

According to Meta, these scam accounts often originate in West African countries with scammers impersonating members of the US military or famous celebrities. In both cases, they'll claim to be "looking for love" and will strike up conversations with people on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp as well as other messaging platforms. Eventually, the scammer will request gift cards, crypto, or other types of payments.

Meta has taken steps to fight these types of schemes. The company said last year it would bring back

  • CEOExpress
  • c/o CommunityScape | 200 Anderson Avenue
    Rochester, NY 14607
  • Contact
  • As an Amazon Associate
    CEOExpress earns from
    qualifying purchases.

©1999-2025 CEOExpress Company LLC