Criminals Now Harness The Power Of Social Media

Rainman

Rainman

Well-Known Member
Social media can be a powerful marketing tool if used properly. But even someone entirely new to social media marketing can do what others do, hone their skills and after a few tries be good at selling to others on Facebook. Police say that Facebook groups for trading "stuff" are becoming popular with criminals. This is where they find customers for stolen items.

Next time you are thinking of buying something on Facebook or even Craiglist, think twice before you do. If what you buy was stolen . . .
 
Criminal find targets on social media and distribute and sell on it as well. Let the buyer beware, if the price is too good to be true then it may be stolen. Facebook is stricter with accounts these days, but I have seen micro task sites where people are paid to set up Facebook accounts, which always looks shady to me. I mean the time spent placing the ad is longer than setting up an account, so it can only be for unsavory activities and I have too much of a conscience to help someone by setting up an Facebook account for immoral means.
 
That's true, criminals can sell it online, but authorities also have web skills that can track down stolen items, so I'd think twice before doing it.
 
Apart from Face book, there are tons of websites where one can purchase stuff. The onus is upon us to verify the goods particulars and where possible,do a thorough background check. Ignorance is not a defense in a court of law so it's vital that whatever goods you handle be legitimate.
 
It's pretty commonsense to take down the details of the seller, in case of any disputes or problems. If someone wants to sell you something for cheap but refuses to divulge any contact details or personal information you have every right to refuse the sale. As always if it's too good to be true it probably is.
 
I don't understand all this stealing and selling and all that stuff. Why not just get out there and work like everyone else to get what you want instead of stealing others things to make money for yourself? Plum stupid if you ask me.
 
It isn't only criminals that are aware of the social media; it's the terrorists too. They are now uploading their disgusting beheading and execution videos on social media websites in order to spread fear among people.

But then again, we shouldn't be surprised. Anything can be used for evil.
 
They certainly do find customers this way, I used to run a business and spent a lot of time on the selling pages and some of the things I saw were mind boggling. People were selling stuff that had clearly been stolen and they were so blatant about it. People offered me stolen goods at a knocked down price and it used to make me so angry. I was trying to run an honest business and was being bombarded with offers of stolen things. One of the most baffling things was how many people were going for the items! People were so keen to grab a bargain they totally ignored the fact that it was highly illegal!
 
Criminals can be canny though and even if they use fake accounts, they also sell the items on to someone else that can't be traced as a middleman. Once when I was working in marketing we were running a campaign where we gave out high values coupons and we found out staff were selling them to shops for half price to redeem and putting them on ebay, so it was hard to track down and prove who was doing it as they used a middle man.
 
I believe this is really a wonderful piece of information. I have never thought about such things. But I do believe a lot of people are used to buying things in Facebook.
 
Because criminals can always find a way to trick people; they are now even becoming more innovative, thanks to the advent of technology. Well, I guess people just need to be very careful and attentive of who they are interacting with, whether it's online or offline.
 
I've heard a lot of stories about people buying from Facebook groups, only to find they had stolen goods and ending up losing their money. There's often a reason why stuff is cheap and it pays to be extremely vigilant when using selling groups.
 
Craigslist always gets the bad rap, but I find that so long as you know what to look for, you'll be fine. Just avoid anything that seems "too good to be true". And check local crime reports for stolen goods so you aren't buying anything illegally obtained.
 
You have to be careful buying things online anywhere you shop if it is not purchased from a trusted mass retailer. The good thing is that most places offer buyer protection, so as long as you keep all of the information and can prove that you did not knowingly purchase stolen merchandise, you will be ok. Ebay is also a place you need to be careful. The good thing about Ebay is that they have fraud investigators that work for the company and look for criminal activity on the site.
 
I quit ebay over this.I bought off a OEM apple headset and what was in was a stupid chinese product.What was baffling was,these guys didn't know how to even spell Apple.:P
i thought i shouldnt take a chance again.
 
If I'm a criminal I'm not going to utilize any social media for any reason because it's easy to trace everything back to me & I'd rather that not occur if I'm a criminal committing crimes & all. Using social media for terrorism however is genius. ISIS is a pretty worldwide example of this. It's a smart move on their part to speak to the people who feel forgotten & include them. Petty crime though? No, that should stay hidden in the streets.
 
I don't buy the type of thing that someone would steal unless they were a jilted lover, selling off all their ex's things while they're out of town maybe lol. I would never buy anything off of facebook, it just doesn't strike me as a very legit place for that and craigslist has never been an option for me.. always heard too many negative things. I have other sites I go to and usually if it's electronics or something, we get it from people on there who are pretty well known for it.
 
I do see some items on the Facebook selling groups that I think could be stolen a/k/a shoplifted. I steer clear of them. I don't have money to blow right now anyway, but even if I did, I would never buy something I suspected was stolen, because it flies in the face of who I am. I agree with @clairelouise84, some are so eager to grab a deal, they don't care about the source. What they don't seem to understand is that we are all a community, and what hurts businesses hurts consumers. We will pay for it one way or another, whether through higher prices at stores, higher taxes to cover the cost of additional police, etc., it will come back to us in a negative way. Unfortunately, it seems many these days have been raised to think a deal is a deal, regardless of whether the merchandise is legal or not.
 
Trading "stuff"..? Lolz..Criminals..transcending a level and taking online trade to heights.:D
They have understood that the jobless youth are on social media and no better way to target their customers than social media.Kudos to u criminal fellas..LMAO..:P
 
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