Beware rogue Facebook scam that could cost you and your pals £400 EACH

POLICE are warning Facebook users about a scam that could target your friends and your bank account.

Merseyside Police have said cybercriminals could take £400 from each of your Facebook friends.

The crime involves hackers pretending to be youCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The scam involves a hacker taking over your Facebook account and then messaging your friends as if they are you.

They will ask your friends for a short term loan for something seemingly innocent but urgent like paying a bill.

According to The Echo, Detective Inspector Joanne Devers said: “Unfortunately, as this particular scam plays on people’s good nature and willingness to help family and friends, a number of fraudsters have been successful in accessing money for criminal gain – resulting in many people across the country at a loss and finding themselves in financial difficulty, especially during this difficult period.

“This scam can be very convincing and criminals will use similar written text to make the request more believable and seem genuine.”

The hackers ask to borrow money from your Facebook friendsCredit: Alamy

Scammers are said to be trying to get between £200 to £400 from people’s Facebook friends.

The cybercriminals give their own account details so the money is transferred straight to them.

Detective Devers added: “I would urge people to exercise caution, and if they receive any requests for money from friends or family via social media, always check with the person directly before making the transaction.

“Never respond to any requests to send money or have money transferred through your account by someone you don’t know and trust.

“I would also recommend following guidance to refresh the security of your online accounts and passwords.

“The National Cyber Security Centre Cyber Aware initiative provides clear guidance on how to stay safe online.”

It’s advisable to have a strong Facebook password to avoid getting hacked and you may want to change your password on a fairly regular basis.

You should also use different passwords for all of your different accounts so if one gets compromised the others are still safe.

Make sure you’re using the latest version of an app and have updated software on your device.

Using two-factor authentication is another good way to make you less susceptible to hackers.

Facebook’s biggest cyber-security mistakes

Here’s some of the major times Facebook let us down…

In 2007, Facebook’s first targetted advertising product, Beacon, caused outrage because there was initally no opt-in option about the kinds of information users wanted to share
In 2009, a Federal Trade Commission investigation was triggered because Facebook users complained that the new privacy tools were too confusing and pushed users to make more of their personal information public
In 2010, it was revealed that advertisers were using a privacy loophole to retrieve revealing personal information about Facebook users and the company had to change its software
In 2011, the FTC charged Facebook with lying to customers about how their information could be kept private but making it public anyway
2018 saw Facebook’s biggest privacy scandal to date with reports that Cambridge Analytica misused user data and Facebook had to admit that it had failed to protect its users

National fraud reporting centre Action Fraud teaches you how to avoid online scams