Debt collectors from ANZ bank in Australia have been caught setting up fake Facebook profiles in order to connect with debtors and get their contact details.
Facebooker “Max Bourke” managed to get up to 80 friends before getting stopped, and ANZ has confirmed that several members of its debt collection department in Melbourne are facing disciplinary action over the incident.
Apparently, the incident was not a bank-sanctioned activity, but was carried out by an individual or group of individuals.
If nothing else, this is a lesson to businesses about having a social media policy in place and practising the highest levels of transparency when it comes to the use of social media profiles and content.
