Facebook is many things to many people — keeping up with family, sharing local news, selling a sofa. But it’s become something else too: a place where fraudsters operate almost unchecked, and where a single click can lead to real financial harm.

You’ve almost certainly seen them. Adverts for amazing-looking products at prices that seem too good to be true. A cordless vacuum for £19. Designer sunglasses at 80% off. They look professional, sometimes even familiar, and Facebook slips them in between posts from your friends as if they deserve the same trust. They don’t.

The problem

Unlike a proper shop — or even a reputable website — almost anyone can place a Facebook advert with very little verification. Fraudsters know this and exploit it ruthlessly. The product that arrives, if anything arrives at all, looks nothing like the photo. The tradesperson takes a deposit and vanishes. The “local business” turns out to be a postal address somewhere overseas.

Worse, payment is often by bank transfer or debit card — methods that leave you with very little comeback if things go wrong. Getting your money back can be very hard indeed.

What to do instead

Close the advert, open your web browser, and search for the company yourself — don’t follow any links the advert provides. Look for genuine reviews on Trustpilot, and check for a real UK address and phone number. When you buy, use a credit card if you can — it gives you the right to a refund if goods don’t show up or aren’t as described.

And if something feels off? Trust that instinct. A genuine bargain will still be there tomorrow.