They don’t call it fakebook for nothing

Social media fanatics won’t like this: social media sites rank in the top third of places where people get scammed the most, according to a survey of 726 Internet users in 2021.

For its first State of Internet Scams report, online people research company Social Catfish also analyzed data released in 2021 by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to find that a record $4.2 billion was lost by Americans in online scams in 2020.

Of the top platforms that people get the most scammed on, Facebook ranked at No. 1 “due to the number of fake profiles that are made within this social media network,” followed by Google Hangouts and Instagram. Dating sites also made the list: Plenty of Fish, Match.com and Tinder ranking at five, six and 10, respectively.

The No. 1 tip for avoiding being scammed? “Do not give money to someone on the Internet whom you have never met in person.”