“If you’re going to deal with someone, do it face to face,” Fannin County Sheriff Dane Kirby said last week.
He made the comment after the latest scam was reported that had cost the victim $600 and left another, unknowing victim embarrassed.
Kirby explained the scam started when the first person’s Facebook page was hacked without her knowledge.
The scam artist then posted a washer and dryer for sale on the page for $600.
The next victim saw the post, thought she knew who the Facebook page belonged to, and trusted that person. She sent the $600, only to find out later what had happened – her $600 had not gone to the person she thought and there was no washer and dryer for sale.
Kirby warns this is another example of, “Don’t make deals on the Internet. Even if you think it’s somebody you know, it may not be.”
The sheriff went on to caution that the scam is another warning against giving out any personal information. This warning has always been echoed in regard to telephone attempts, but it holds just as true for social media.
In the case of Facebook hacking, scam artists, “Have just added another tool to their trade. Their goal is still the same, they want your information and your money,” Kirby said.
Anyone who has been or thinks they have been the target of a scam is urged to call the sheriff’s office at 706-632-2044.