It’s no secret that Facebook scammers often impersonate businesses to trick unsuspecting users into forking over money. And while the cost of this fraud is apparent for the victims, the damage to the businesses that are being impersonated is often not reported. That’s why, this week, a small business in St. Paul, Minnesota, told its story about being victimized by Facebook scammers — and how the social media giant has done nothing to stop it.

According to Robert Sanberg, the owner of a small direct-to-consumer outdoor company called WindRider, he noticed his Facebook ad sales slowing down in early November. Then, the next week, he began receiving calls and emails from frustrated consumers who said they never received their orders. After one customer sent him screenshots, he finally found out that his business was being impersonated by scammers. By Black Friday, he was receiving over 10 complaints a day, and despite repeatedly flagging the issue for Facebook, the company has not helped him.

“Facebook doesn’t seem to care about taking these down because they’re not losing any money,” Sanberg said. “They’re generating money from these fake accounts.”

Unfortunately, there’s little chance authorities will be able to help these users recover their money, and Sanberg says his business is out at least $20,000 a day in late November alone. He has since pulled all his advertising from Facebook, but the damage has been done. Now the onus is on Facebook to do a better job protecting business owners like him in the future.

Recommended Resources

Choose what the experts use: award-winning cybersecurity you can trust and rely on.

Surf the web truly incognito. Try Bitdefender Premium VPN, the ultra-fast VPN that keeps your online identity and activities safe from hackers, ISPs and snoops.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!