All people who regularly use Facebook and who are 60 years old and over must be extra vigilant. Indeed, a new scam has emerged. And the least we can say is that she caused great damage in France.
Scams targeting Facebook
A new form of scam called “boomers trap” is raging in France. In fact, in recent months, publications designed specifically to attract seniors have continued to multiply on the platform.
These images, generated by artificial intelligence, are often spectacular or moving. They have a very specific goal: to exploit emotions like nostalgia or respect for elders to generate massive sharing.
Among these publications, some show improbable situations, but which nevertheless present themselves in a credible manner. It is notably possible to see a man who over three years sculpted impressively realistic statues showing his parents.
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Another features a grandfather who proudly poses in front of a spectacular cake that he would have made himself. Still others tell the story of a young shepherdess with a perfect face, with a caption claiming that she will never have as many likes as Lady Gaga, but that she loves her job and animals.
These images are accompanied by inspiring messages. They very often turn to celebrating the values of the time. Publications exploit nostalgia and good feelings to appeal to their target.
Hundreds of enthusiastic and caring comments contribute to their virality. However, behind these moving photos lies a terrible scam. These publications are often the fruit of malicious people.
Well-crafted scams
These posts seek to form Facebook groups with unsuspecting users. Once these communities are created, they become lucrative tools. Administrators can redirect members to sites stuffed with ads.
Or even expose them to merchant scams and calls for fraudulent donations. But also misleading financial platforms. The objective is to take advantage of users' gullibility. This method is amplified by the use of artificial intelligence.
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Thanks to it, scammers can quickly produce visually engaging content, adapted to the expectations of Internet users. Facebook users are, on average, older than those on other platforms like Instagram or TikTok.
This particularity makes it an ideal target for scammers. Many seniors may be more vulnerable to these scams. People who comment or share these posts sometimes become direct targets for those called “grazers”.
These scammers also appear under fake Facebook profiles. They have the ability to initiate fictitious romantic relationships. Their goal is to manipulate their victims into extracting money from them through long-distance romance scenarios.
Users should be cautious of these scams. Be aware that AI-generated images sometimes have anomalies, like disproportionate fingers or misaligned teeth.
You should also be wary of photos that seem too good to be true. And which quickly accumulate hundreds of shares.
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