MILLIONS of Facebook users could be at risk.
Facebookers have been warned about a new ‘Meta-Phish’ circling in the waters of the social media platform.
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The phishing scam uses Facebook posts to lure users into handing over their account details and personal information, which can then be used by hackers to take control of their accounts.
The fraudsters behind the scam send fake copyright infringement notices to Facebook users via email, saying their accounts will be deleted within 48 hours unless they appeal the decision.
The notes from hackers, who say they are from the Facebook Team, typically read like this: “We just received a report from a third party that the content you posted infringes or otherwise violates their rights.
“We have received numerous reports against your activity and the content you have published violates our rules.
“Referring to these claims which target you as the fanpage representative your page has been set up in the deletion process and it requires immediate attention.
“We try to stay as transparent as possible with all of our customers henceforth compliance with the Facebook Policy is required to ensure a quality and brand-safe environment for Facebook’s users.
“If you believe these reports are inaccurate, please click the link below.”
Users are then diverted to a fake appeal form which collects key personal data.
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Millions have been advised to stay calm and ignore the alert.
Puppy Dog Eyes
It is not the only scam circulating on Facebook, which has nearly 3billion monthly users according to Statista.
Dog lovers were warned a few weeks ago not to fall for a heartbreaking scam that’s exploded on the social media platform.
The ruse tricks people with fake posts about lost or injured pets.
The idea behind the scam is to pull on your heartstrings and get you to share the post.
But unfortunately it’s a nasty con.
The purpose behind it is so fraudsters can go and edit the post after to something completely different.
But because you’ve now shared it on your profile, friends may think it’s genuine and click it.
So you’ve unintentionally set Facebook friends onto dubious pages where they can be scammed.
How to spot a scammer on Facebook
There are ways to work out whether the person posting something in a Group is a scammer or not.
Firstly, click on their profile and see where they’re from.
If it says from somewhere far away that should be an instant red flag.
Then look at the type of account they have.
If they don’t have many friends or followers, it means they’re very likely a con artist.
That’s because bad actors are usually caught and their accounts banned, meaning they have to create a new one each time.
You should also see how long they’ve been a member – if it’s very recent, that’s definitely not a good sign.
Look at the comments as well, some members are good at highlighting these criminals.
Another tip is copy and pasting the text of their post in Google to see if others have reported it.
Finally, you can do a reverse image search of the pet on Google as well, to see if it’s been used somewhere else.
If you do suspect a fraudster, be sure to report them.
It prevents others from potentially falling victim.
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