The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Facebook’s Libra currency spawns a wave of fakes, including on Facebook itself

July 22, 2019 at 6:19 p.m. EDT
Facebook's Libra currency is not yet available for public use. But that hasn't stopped people from attempting to get money for the currency on Facebook and Instagram. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

A wave of fakes purporting to sell or represent Facebook’s not-yet-available Libra currency have swept onto the social-media giant’s platforms, highlighting how the tech firm is struggling to rebuild trust and fight the fraud likely to surround the new financial system.

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.