Articles > New Facebook Scam
- beware of fake messages from friends!
There's a new phishing scam to be aware of if you're a Facebook user, and it goes something like this:
You receive a facebook message in your email seemingly sent from one of your friends, which says "Look at this!" and provides you with a link.
You assume it is legitimate because it's from one of your friends, so you click on the link and are faced with what looks like the Facebook login page. Except it isn't. Currently the link points to either "fbstarter.com" or "fbaction.net".
You enter your Facebook login details and click to login. You have, at this point, just given to the creators of this phishing site full access to your Facebook account.
With this information they can enter your account and send out more emails to all of your friends repeating the scam.
Having visited the phishing website you might also have been infected with malware. The scammers have access to yours and your friends' information, which might include names, addresses, telephone numbers, birthdays etc.
Here is an email from Facebook sent to a victim of the scam, including advice on what to do:
"We have detected suspicious activity on your Facebook account and have reset your password as a security precaution. It is possible that malicious software was downloaded to your computer or that your password was stolen by a phishing website designed to look like Facebook. Please carefully follow the steps provided:
1. Run Anti-Virus Software: If your computer has been infected with a virus or with malware, you will need to run anti-virus software to remove these harmful programs and keep your information secure. For Microsoft:
2. Reset Password: Be sure that you use a complex string of numbers, letters, and punctuation marks that is at least six characters in length.
3. Never Click Suspicious Links: It is possible that your friends could unwillingly send spam, viruses, or malware through Facebook if their accounts are infected. Do not click this material and do not run any .exe files on your computer without knowing what they are. Also, be sure to use the most current version of your browser as they contain important security warnings and protection features.
4. Log in at Facebook.com: Make sure that when you access the site, you always log in from a legitimate Facebook page with the facebook.com domain. If something looks or feels suspicious, go directly to www.facebook.com to log in.
5. Report Suspicious Activity: Please visit the following pages for further information about Facebook security and information on reporting material: http://www.facebook.com/help.php?page=420 and http://www.facebook.com/security.
Once you have performed all these steps, your account should once again be secure. Please be sure to visit the Facebook Help Center for further information regarding these security issues and let us know if you need assistance."
Remember: IF IN DOUBT SAY NO. Even emails from people you know might not actually have been sent by them, so be very cautious. Was the email out of the blue from someone you wouldn't expect to receive one from? Does it even sound like them, the type of language they use and the information contained within the email? If you're still not sure, ring them and ask them!
Thanks to William from Blue Horseshoe Accountants for providing much of the information in this TechTip.
There's a new phishing scam to be aware of if you're a Facebook user, and it goes something like this:
