Must You Disable Facebook Auto-Fill To Block Scams?!

Must you immediately disable Auto-Fill in Facebook to block scams?!

Here is what you need to know about Facebook Auto-Fill, and getting scammed on Facebook!

 

Claim : Facebook Auto-Fill Opens You To Scams!

People are sharing warnings about Facebook Auto-Fill, together with instructions on how to disable it to block Facebook Ads scams.

Recommended : Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

 

Truth : Facebook Auto-Fill Does Not Open You To Scams

There appears to be a spate of scams involving Facebook Ads and Maybank users, but it does not appear to be related to the Facebook Auto-Fill feature, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Facebook Introduced Auto-Fill In 2013

Facebook started introducing Auto-Fill sometime in September 2013, and gradually rolled it out globally over the years, so this is not a new feature.

Fact #2 : Many App Use Auto-Fill

Facebook isn’t the only app or platform to use Auto-Fill. Many services and platforms use Auto-Fill to make it easier to fill up forms and make payments.

The Auto-Fill feature is used in most, if not all, e-commerce / online shopping / online payment platforms, to expedite payments. The idea is that if they make it easier it is for you to pay, you will tend to buy more!

Many apps and services also use Auto-Fill to help you fill onerous forms with common details like your full name, email address, address and telephone number.

Fact #3 : Facebook Does Not Automatically Have Your Details

Facebook enables Auto-Fill by default for forms and payment, but that does not mean it has access to your debit or credit cards, or even your personal details. You need to manually key in your Contact Info and/or Payment Info for Facebook Auto-Fill to work.

If you have never given Facebook your credit card details, there is no way for its Auto-Fill to automatically fill in the credit card details for any transaction. Even if a scammer gains access to your Facebook account, he/she cannot use Auto-Fill because you never keyed in your debit or credit card details in the first place!

I did a quick check on two cases involving Maybank that came up recently (first example) (second example), and noticed that both parties who reported that they got fraudulently charged for Facebook Ads never registered their credit card with Facebook at all!

So whatever may be going on, it does not appear to be a Facebook Auto-Fill issue. But just in case you are worried, here are the latest steps on how to disable Auto-Fill on the Facebook mobile app.

1. Tap on your icon at the upper right corner of the Facebook app to access the Menu.
2. Scroll down the Menu until you see the Settings & privacy group.
3. Tap on Settings.
4. Scroll down the Settings & privacy page, and tap on Browser.
5. Scroll down the Browser settings page to the Auto-fill section.
6. You can tap on the Contact info and Payment info to check what information you shared with Facebook.
7. To disable Auto-fill for contact information, unselect Auto-fill contact forms.
8. To disable Auto-fill for payment, unselect Auto-fill payment forms.

Recommended : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Fact #4 : Auto-Fill Cannot Bypass TAC Verification

Even if you registered your credit card details with Facebook, and then use Auto-Fill to make a purchase, you will still need to authenticate that purchase.

Of course, it is possible to conduct a SIM swap attack, but that’s a different story altogether…

Fact #5 : Existing Facebook Ads Account Is A Risk

Those who have earlier registered a Facebook Ads account and ran advertisements may be at risk, because their credit cards would already be linked to their Facebook Ads account.

A scammer who gains access to their account (usually through phishing attacks) can easily create and run advertisements using their existing Facebook Ads account using the credit cards that have already been registered and approved earlier.

To minimise your risk, never ever use a debit card! Always use a CREDIT CARD, and always keep an eye on the transactions. Report to the bank once you see a fraudulent transaction.

But this has nothing to do with the Facebook Auto-Fill feature, and is not a concern if you never pre-approved your debit or credit cards with a Facebook Ads account.

Fact #5 : Existing Facebook Pay Account Is A Risk

Similarly, if you are using Facebook Pay, a scammer who gains access to your Facebook account could potentially use the debit or credit cards you registered earlier to make fraudulent transactions.

Again, you should NEVER use a debit card with Facebook Pay. Use a credit card, and always keep an eye on the transactions, and report to the bank once you see something fishy.

On top of that, you should enable PIN confirmation for Facebook Pay:

1. Go to Settings in the Facebook website (not app).
2. Go to Account Settings, and select Orders and payments.
3. In the Orders and payments page, select Settings.
4. In the Security section, select Require PIN Confirmation.
5. You will be asked to enter a 4-digit number as your PIN.
6. Key in the 4-digit number again to confirm your PIN.

After that, you will be required to key in the 4-digit PIN whenever you make a payment, or change your bank account details, or connect your payment info with other Meta apps.

Recommended : Maybank FB Ads Scam : How To Recover Money?!

 

 

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