Clay County, MO – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a new phishing scam involving fake “Meta Business Support” pages designed to steal personal and financial information.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, one of its recently retired sergeants was nearly scammed after finding what appeared to be an official Meta support page online. The site listed a phone number for “Meta Customer Support,” which connected her directly to a scammer posing as a company representative.
The scammer reportedly instructed her to download an app to “verify her identity” and claimed her account had been used for fraudulent purchases. When she refused to provide a driver’s license photo, the scammer allegedly became aggressive before hanging up — a key red flag, according to deputies.
Officials say the fake website was designed to mimic legitimate Meta pages but included several telltale signs of fraud, including a generic page heading, lack of a proper navigation bar, and poor design quality.
The Sheriff’s Office advises residents to double-check website URLs, look for design inconsistencies or typos, and avoid clicking on search engine or email links to reach customer support pages. Typing the address directly is the safest way, deputies said.
“This could happen to anyone,” the department noted. “Even experienced users can be caught off guard by how real these sites look.”
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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