The Rise Of Facebook Spam Messages And What You Can Do About It
What The Heck Is With All The Facebook Spam Messages These Days?
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of logging on for the day only to see my email and Facebook inbox flooded with spam and scams. Fake emails and messages from “Facebook” and “Meta” aren’t only frustrating; they’re a waste of my time, and frankly, that makes me mad. Even worse, for people who can’t spot the spam and click the links, these messages can open the door to account takeovers and worse.
There has always been spam on Facebook and every other social media platform. But over the past couple of years, the volume of spam has grown exponentially. Why?
Spam Slingers
It’s the wild west out there right now, friends.
Advancements in AI have removed the cap on how much content can be created and distributed. Between bots, AI-driven accounts and the non-stop churn of content, it’s no wonder you are seeing more and more spam on your feed and in your inbox.
If I had a dollar for every time I saw one of these messages in my inbox…
“URGENT! Your account has violated META’s community standard guidelines and is scheduled for deletion.”
Even if you are good at spotting spam, these Facebook messages are a real pain. They cost you time and potentially money, too. They clutter up your inbox, take time to report, delete, or just to scroll past and—worst of all—could cause you to miss a real message from a potential customer.
But Why Is There So Much Spam on Facebook?
If you’re wondering why people bother setting up these spam schemes, the answer is simple: money.
Facebook spam messages typically come in three flavours: phishing scams, account takeover scams or engagement farming. They are all different ways of turning messages, emails and content into cash.
Phishing
When fraudsters impersonate real organizations (like META) to trick you into revealing sensitive information like your usernames, passwords, or credit card details, it’s called phishing. The example of an “URGENT” message from META I shared above is a prime example of what this can look like.
Engagement Farming
An engagement farmer uses bots and AI to pump out as much content and/or engage with as many accounts as possible to cash in on engagement bonuses. It is most common on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) but happens on Facebook, too.
Whether the spam slinger is a bad-faith actor or an “engagement farmer,” these spamsters want access to your information so they can make money off of you. It’s shady at best and, at worst, can have real consequences for your business and personal life.
Protect Yourself And Your Business From Facebook Spam Messages
It’s time to channel your inner John Wayne, saddle up and restore order to your corner of the internet—or at least to your Facebook business account. Because let’s face it, Zuckerberg isn’t going to do it for you.
Here are three things you should do right now to slow down the spam:
Update your passwords, activate two-factor authorization (2FA) and invest in a secure password manager.
Use META’s automation features to filter spam out of your inbox by targeting common keywords like “URGENT,” “follow this link,” and others.
Get spam savvy and learn how to spot a phony Facebook message at first glance.
And above all, if you aren’t 100% sure that a link is legit, DO NOT CLICK ON IT.
Don’t Let The Spammers Get You Down
If you have been getting hammered with Facebook spam messages lately, you are not alone.
You haven’t done anything wrong, and it’s very likely that the people spamming you have NO idea who you are. There’s no way for you to stop spam from getting into your inbox or onto your feed, but you can take steps to protect yourself and your business.
