Social Media companies are not taking proactive measures to control the scammers from leaking the private information of users on the platforms, revealed an investigation report from Which?.
The report stated that over 50 accounts, pages, and groups on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are offering the stolen information of people, including credit card details, Uber Eats, and Netflix accounts details. Even after reporting, much of the data could still be seen on the platforms.
Facebook and Twitter stated that such activities will not be allowed on their platforms and action would be taken against it.
Before the lockdown due to COVID-19, the investigation was carried out which showed one of the Facebook posts that had Yorkshire man’s personal details like his full name, date of birth, home address, contact number, credit card number, security code along with expiry data and the bank name and sort code.
The investigation also revealed that the post was on the platform for almost four months. Which? Reported it to Facebook, but the platform denied to remove it, saying it is not against the community standards.
Which? again requested Facebook to review its decision about not removing the post as the post remained in the group where it was posted.
Later, Facebook while talking to media outlets responded it had taken action against such content and have removed it from the platform.
The company said it will not bear scamming activities on the platform and have taken down the groups and profiles that Which? reported for breaching the policies of the platform.
They further added that they are investing in technology and people to free the platform from fraudulent content and also encourages users to report inappropriate content so it can be removed.
Investigators from Which? found out Twitter accounts that offered complete credit card details of people with more than £13,000 in their bank account for only £100. And the details of three credit cards were sold for £200 only. A fake passport was also offered for £3,000.
Which? searched for different slang terms of fraud to find such content. Then the similar accounts were suggested by the Twitter algorithm on the “Who to Follow” section.
Twitter clarified its position, saying it is against its rules to provide private financial information or to gain money using scam tricks. The platform would instantly take down posts that violate the rules.
The platform is improving its policies to deal with scammers on the platform by continuously adapting to the evolving methods of the industry.
Twitter suspended the accounts that violated the policies as pointed out by Which?
It is surprising to see how scammers can easily carry out evil activates on leading social networking platforms, which can result in severe consequences, affecting several people.
Facebook and Twitter should collaborate with financial industry and police to address the loopholes and take strict actions against bad actors on the platforms.
Read next: Hackers are Utilizing Facebook's "Notes" Tools in their Latest Phishing Campaign to Target Page Admins!
The report stated that over 50 accounts, pages, and groups on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are offering the stolen information of people, including credit card details, Uber Eats, and Netflix accounts details. Even after reporting, much of the data could still be seen on the platforms.
Facebook and Twitter stated that such activities will not be allowed on their platforms and action would be taken against it.
Before the lockdown due to COVID-19, the investigation was carried out which showed one of the Facebook posts that had Yorkshire man’s personal details like his full name, date of birth, home address, contact number, credit card number, security code along with expiry data and the bank name and sort code.
The investigation also revealed that the post was on the platform for almost four months. Which? Reported it to Facebook, but the platform denied to remove it, saying it is not against the community standards.
Which? again requested Facebook to review its decision about not removing the post as the post remained in the group where it was posted.
Later, Facebook while talking to media outlets responded it had taken action against such content and have removed it from the platform.
The company said it will not bear scamming activities on the platform and have taken down the groups and profiles that Which? reported for breaching the policies of the platform.
They further added that they are investing in technology and people to free the platform from fraudulent content and also encourages users to report inappropriate content so it can be removed.
Investigators from Which? found out Twitter accounts that offered complete credit card details of people with more than £13,000 in their bank account for only £100. And the details of three credit cards were sold for £200 only. A fake passport was also offered for £3,000.
Which? searched for different slang terms of fraud to find such content. Then the similar accounts were suggested by the Twitter algorithm on the “Who to Follow” section.
Twitter clarified its position, saying it is against its rules to provide private financial information or to gain money using scam tricks. The platform would instantly take down posts that violate the rules.
The platform is improving its policies to deal with scammers on the platform by continuously adapting to the evolving methods of the industry.
Twitter suspended the accounts that violated the policies as pointed out by Which?
It is surprising to see how scammers can easily carry out evil activates on leading social networking platforms, which can result in severe consequences, affecting several people.
Facebook and Twitter should collaborate with financial industry and police to address the loopholes and take strict actions against bad actors on the platforms.
Read next: Hackers are Utilizing Facebook's "Notes" Tools in their Latest Phishing Campaign to Target Page Admins!
