Fake Libra scams pose new challenge for Facebook

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Almost a year after Facebook’s Libra was first announced, the outlook for the stablecoin looks starkly different. Once hailed as a game-changer for digital currency, the project has been beset by delays and regulatory difficulties.

Now, fake Libra scams are presenting an increasingly pressing new challenge for Libra and Facebook, with a proliferation of websites claiming to offer investment schemes denominated in fake Libra tokens.

Dante Disparte, Deputy Chairman and Head of Policy and Communications for The Libra Association, said the organization was now constantly working to suppress fake Libra scams: “As we become aware of these sites, we work diligently to address them. We respond to inquiries concerning the validity of these pages, indicating that the only official website is Libra.org.”

“We are still in the early stages of this project and work to address issues like these as they arise,” Disparte told Finance Magnates, urging people to report the scams.

The fake Libra problem is one that has been around for some time, with reports dating back to July 2019. At the time, a report in the Washington Post discovered dozens of fake social media accounts and pages linked to fake Libra scams—including many on Facebook itself.

In an article published on July 23, 2019, the Washington Post said this would continue to be a problem for the social media giant: “Roughly a dozen fake accounts, pages and groups scattered across Facebook and its photo-sharing app Instagram present themselves as official hubs for the digital currency, in some cases offering to sell Libra at a discount if viewers visit potentially fraudulent, third-party websites.”

Libra had originally been penciled for launch in the first half of 2020, a milestone that has nearly been reached with limited progress towards a wider rollout.