80% of all online scams targeting their customers originated from a Meta platforms.

Rob Neely

The most popular fraud is to simply sell items that don’t exist using a fake Facebook account.

British bank TSB released a shocking statistic last month – 80% of all online scams targeting their customers originated from a Meta platform. According to their research, there are three key scams: purchase, impersonation and investment fraud.

These online scams use three of Meta’s most popular services to target victims: Facebook Marketplace, WhatsApp and Instagram.


Beware Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace has become an incredibly useful tool for people looking to buy and sell items. But with such a large potential audience, the website is also a magnet for scammers.

The most popular fraud is to simply sell items that don’t exist using a fake Facebook account.

The scammer accepts payment and then disappears with their victim’s money. According to TSB, 60% of all purchase fraud cases reported by their customers are because of Facebook Marketplace fraud.


Beware WhatsApp

By far the world’s most popular instant messaging app, WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users across the world. Or 2 billion potential victims of cybercrime.

The most popular, and effective WhatsApp fraud is known as an ‘impersonation scam’. Victims receive a message from someone pretending to be a friend or family member who needs money urgently to resolve an emergency, such as medical treatment, to pay an unexpected bill or some other immediate problem. If their victim sends money, the scammer simply disappears.


Beware Instagram

It is possible to make a fortune on the stock market – if you know what you are doing. Many scammers are now using Instagram to connect with potential victims who want to invest and make a profit.

Known as ‘money flipping’, scammers will advertise their low-cost investment expertise on Instagram. Victims are encouraged to make a bank transfer which the scammer will invest on their behalf – and major profits are guaranteed to follow. The problem is that once the transfer is made, the scammer disappears with the cash. TSB estimate that 67% of all investment fraud experienced by their customers is committed using Instagram.



How to stay safe

Meta’s platforms – Facebook Marketplace, WhatsApp and Instagram – are indispensable for most people. They could not stop using these services even if they wanted to. So instead, we need to be a bit smarter about how we use them.

In most cases, you can spot a scam by taking a few minutes to consider what you are seeing and asking yourself some simple questions:

  • Is the deal too good to be true? – If you see an item for sale online at an unusually low price, there’s a good chance it’s a scam. Contact the buyer and ask if you can see the item ‘in real life’ before making payment – if they refuse, they are probably a scammer.
  • Does my friend really need money? – Call your friend or family member to check if they are really in trouble before sending money. It is highly likely that your contacts are fine – and that the urgent message is just a scammer.
  • Should I trust this person? – Investments can be extremely risky, and giving money to people on Instagram is downright dangerous. Always carefully research your investment options before making bank transfers – and don’t forget to ask advice from a professional (like your bank) first.

It’s worth remembering that these tips also work for any online service – not just Meta.

  • And finally, if you want to be 100% certain of not being scammed use SellSecurely.com


A person is holding a piece of paper that looks like a unicorn.
By Rob Neely May 5, 2025
Securely announces $6m(USD) Series A begins mid May. Five years ago, our founder set out to solve a real-world problem: Scams. He wasn’t a fintech expert — but he knew the problem was real. So, he built a team. People who could help him turn the idea in his head into something that could move markets. A couple of years in, we had an MVP live and we caught the attention of bankers in Australia. That was a sliding doors moment. What started as us becoming a launch customer for a new bank product ended up being a turning point — it gave Rob deep, first-hand access into how bank payment rails really work behind the scenes and that’s where he had a eureka moment. A moment Elon Musk has talked about, but still hasn't achieved — connecting social media profiles to bank accounts. Why does it matter? Because 8 out of 10 scams today start on social media. Because scams are now a $1 trillion dollar problem every year. And here’s what he realised: Everyone was looking at it from the wrong end. Instead of asking Facebook to clean up fake profiles — banks could step up. Banks could offer their customers verified digital identities tied directly to their accounts. We searched the globe. No one was offering it. No one had even patented it. So we did! Our patent was lodged in 2023 — published in April 2025 — and it’s on track to be fully granted within six months. And the market size? Seventeen billion transactions a year happening on peer-to-peer marketplaces — and virtually no formal payment rail in sight. For banks, it's a game-changer: It protects up to $3.5 trillion dollars in deposits from bleeding into third-party apps. It makes customers safer. It strengthens trust. And — who would’ve thought — it might even be a service they can charge for. In the last 6 months, we’ve won fintech and payment awards in New York and Berlin. We’re now being talked about as Australia’s next tech unicorn — and maybe even the next PayPal. But to get there, we don’t just need cheques. We need doors opened. We need strategic partners. We need smart capital. We've already started global conversations with banks in US, Latam, India and the EU — and we’ve only been commercialising for six months. And we’re not a one-trick pony either. We hold three patents, with a fourth on the way. We’re now raising our first external round — a Series A. If you can help this little Aussie scale-up go global — We'd love to talk.
By Rob Neely April 19, 2025
Noosa based Securely Group takes MPE 2025 by storm – named Best Startup Innovation in Berlin Germany!
A logo for the us fin tech awards that says innovator of the year winner
By Rob Neely March 3, 2025
This is a subtitle for your new post
By Rob Neely February 28, 2025
Exciting News!