How To Spot Fake Ads on Facebook

You can spot fake ads on Facebook if you notice that the ads feature very inexpensive products, poor-quality images, spelling mistakes or a lack of clear branding. Fake Facebook ads aim to trick you into sharing your personal information or paying for items that don’t exist.

Continue reading to learn some of the most common signs of fake Facebook ads, how to avoid falling for these fake ads and what to do if you have already been scammed by them.

Signs of a fake ad on Facebook

There are several ways you can determine whether a Facebook ad is fake to protect yourself from falling victim to common scams.

Extremely cheap products

If you see an ad on Facebook advertising a very inexpensive item, there is a high chance that the item isn’t real. Any ad with items listed at prices that seem too good to be true usually are, but scammers know that the idea of a low price intrigues many people into clicking on fake ads. If you fall for these fake ads and click on them, you will most likely be taken to a fake online shopping website that will steal any information you enter, including your credit card number and email address. A scammer can use your personal information to commit identity theft, so it’s important not to click on any item listed for an extremely low price on Facebook.

Poor-quality graphics

Any ad that uses low-resolution or unprofessional pictures or graphics is most likely fake. Real Facebook ads display graphics that are clear and contain accurate information. Never click on a Facebook ad that uses questionable graphics or low-quality images because a legitimate ad would not be published unless it featured high-quality visuals.

Spelling or grammatical errors

Most fake ads on Facebook can be spotted if they contain obvious spelling or grammatical errors. For example, an ad you come across while scrolling through Facebook may contain typos or sentence fragments that make sentences nonsensical or appear incomplete. When simple words are spelled incorrectly in Facebook ads, it shows that the ads are unprofessional and are likely created by scammers to trick you into clicking on them.

Little to no engagement

When a Facebook ad has little to no engagement, it is a sign that the ad is not real. Most of the time, a company that posts an ad on Facebook has a large enough audience to generate likes, comments and shares. If a legitimate-looking company has an ad that has no engagement, it likely means a scammer has created a fake ad in an attempt to trick you into clicking on a link or even sharing the ad with someone you know.

No clear branding

Typically, legitimate companies have clear branding in their ads based on their color schemes, fonts and even taglines. Another indicator that an ad is fake is if it contains no brand or company name or logo. If you see an ad on Facebook for a legitimate company that doesn’t match their official branding or has inconsistent branding, it is most likely fake.

How to avoid falling for fake ads on Facebook

You can avoid falling victim to fake ads on Facebook by being cautious about great deals, visiting a company’s website directly and checking the safety of an ad’s link.

Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true

Most things that seem too good to be true usually are, including Facebook ads. If you see an ad on Facebook for an item or service that is advertised at a very low price compared to what you’d expect, this is a sign that it may be fake. Make sure to do your research before clicking on an ad to determine if the deal seems reasonable or legitimate.

Navigate to the website yourself

Although clicking a Facebook ad may seem like the easiest way to see the deal, you should visit the company’s website yourself because the link associated with the ad may contain malware. Clicking on a fake ad can result in your device becoming infected with malware, and a cybercriminal can steal your private information. Visiting the official website yourself can also clarify whether the company is actually offering the deal or selling the product that you saw in the Facebook ad.

Consider investing in an ad blocker

To minimize the number of ads you encounter online, you should download an ad blocker. This is helpful if you scroll through Facebook on your computer because ad blockers usually run through your web browser. While a web page loads, an ad blocker will check if any of the web page’s elements get flagged as advertisements. If the ad blocker finds an ad, it will prevent the ad from loading and displaying in your browser. When you invest in an ad blocker, you are much less likely to fall for a fake ad because ads won’t be able to load on your screen.

What to do if you get scammed by a fake ad on Facebook

If you click on a fake Facebook ad and enter your personal information, such as your credit card number, there are several things you need to do immediately to try to get your money back and protect your identity.

Contact your bank to report the transaction

The first thing you should do if you realize a fake Facebook ad steals your private information is contact your bank. You can report credit card fraud on your card’s app or website, or you can call your bank directly by dialing the phone number on the back of your card. Inform your bank what information the fake ad is requesting and which charge is unauthorized. Once your bank confirms that the transaction is fraudulent, your card will most likely be locked and you will receive a new one in the mail.

Change your password and enable MFA

If a fake ad leads you to enter login credentials for an online account on a fake website, you should change your password immediately. After updating your password, you should also enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for extra protection. MFA requires you to provide another form of authentication before accessing an online account. If you have MFA enabled, a scammer would be unable to access your account, even if they know your username and password, because MFA methods are typically a PIN, a code from an authenticator app, a unique answer to a security question or biometrics like your fingerprint. Without your MFA, a scammer cannot gain access to your online account.

Scan your device for malware

After clicking on a fake ad, you should scan your device for malware using antivirus software. The main purpose of antivirus software is to detect, stop and remove any known viruses or malware from infecting your device. Since most fake ads install malware onto your device after you click on them, this is crucial in determining whether a cybercriminal is spying on your online activity and stealing your private information. When you download antivirus software, it scans its database of billions of known viruses and compares them with your device’s contents. If it finds a match, it will isolate and remove the virus before it has the chance to infect your device.

Report the fake ad to Facebook

Once you’ve protected your finances, online information and device, you should report the fake ad to Facebook. If the ad is still on your feed, click the three dots next to the ad that you want to report, then click Report ad and follow the next steps. However, if you didn’t realize the ad was fake until much later, you should still be able to report it by going to the Meta Ad Library. Here, you can type keywords related to the ad in the Search ads box. Scroll until you find the ad you want to report, then click the three dots next to it. Select Report ad, then follow the instructions. Reporting fake ads to Facebook directly helps remove these ads and prevents other people from falling victim to these scams.

Avoid falling victim to fake ads

In general, ads can be annoying to see on your feed. However, fake ads on Facebook and other online platforms can be dangerous and potentially lead to identity theft. It’s important to know the common signs of fake ads and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim of these scams, such as not clicking on the ad before checking the safety of the link and investing in an ad blocker to reduce the number of ads you see.