Meta scammers on the rise: Protecting your Facebook accounts now
1:16 PM EDT, July 17, 2024
Recently, cybercriminals have become exceptionally frequent in committing fraud using Meta and Facebook's image. A fake message can be received on Messenger, SMS, or email.
The process of cybercriminals' operation begins with a message that, at first glance, seems to come directly from Facebook. When dealing with Messenger, the sender often uses a profile picture with the characteristic "F" symbol or "Meta" logo. The account name suggests that we are dealing with the Facebook Help Center. In the case of emails, the title usually indicates that Meta Business Suite sent the message. Sometimes, a scammer tags us in a shared, collective post.
Scammers inform us that our access to the platform may be blocked or restricted. The message content may also include threats to delete the profile, which increases the time pressure. To prevent this, they recommend clicking the provided link.
Such an action redirects us to a website that closely resembles Facebook. We are asked to fill out an appeal form and provide login credentials there. Entering them results in scammers taking over the account.
Problem for businesses and individuals
CyberRescue describes an example of the effects of this type of fraud. One of the employees of a particular company received a fake message and, wanting to unblock access to the portal, provided their login details.
According to the client, she suddenly lost access to the company's fan page, and "strange contests and cryptocurrency offers" started appearing on the page. Simultaneously, money was reported to have disappeared from the page owner's bank account. This resulted from a payment card being linked to the Facebook page. The money was spent on promoting fake contests.
How to protect against such an attack?
- We should always apply the principle of limited trust. Even if the message seems to come from the support of a given service, we should exercise caution — advises Wojciech Łupina from CyberRescue.
If we have fallen victim to scammers, we should try to regain access to the account as soon as possible through the form facebook.com/hacked. Next, we should change the password and activate two-step verification. It is also worth considering setting limits on the payment cards linked to the platforms we use.
In today's world, where the number of online frauds is growing daily, staying vigilant and applying appropriate security measures is crucial to protecting your data and finances.
