You might see our friends sharing random links on your Facebook Messenger, asking you to open a link. Do not click the link, no matter how close you are to that person.
These are common types of phishing scams that are appearing more and more on social media platforms. It only takes four words to fool people into disclosing their personal information.
The scam is distributed through hijacked profiles of friends and relatives, and the message is innocuous: “look what I found,” followed by a link.
When you click on the link, your Facebook Messenger prompts you to the login page of Facebook. While it may look exactly like the real deal, it’s not. The lookalike page is normally another website created to steal your data, take over your account, or install malware on your device.
[Read: Watch Mark Zuckerberg Take a Captcha to Prove He’s Not a Robot]
This is just one of several similar frauds that have recently flourished, and many people are unaware they have been victims.
There have been several frauds on Instagram attempting to persuade people to invest in cryptocurrency, as well as posts on both Facebook and Instagram urging people to send a message to the author if they need financial assistance – one of which was particularly heinous.
Spotting a scam is seldom easy. Be wary if the message is strange or unexpected or if the grammar is incorrect. Please inquire about the link, contact the person who sent you the link and ask them whether or not did they actually send a legitimate link or has their account has been compromised.
Contact them on alternative social media platforms if you’re doubtful that the account messaging you is in the hands of the legitimate owner.
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