Facebook Messenger scam has 10 million victims and counting every day

Cissie Lowe is a huge Elvis Presley fan who loves everything about The King, especially his films.

“We have Viva Las Vegas with Anne Margret,” she said. “And I also like King Creole and Blue Hawaii.”

7 years ago she started an Elvis fan page on Facebook and gained 32,000 followers who she considers personal friends.

Moderating the site took up a lot of her free time until recently….when a hacker took over and locked her out.

“It was stolen from me a month ago,” she said. “And nothing was done about it.”

Lowe believes a hacker in Indonesia (based on tracking the new administrator) now controls the group she started seven years ago.

“He took me out of my group, blocked me and I couldn’t even get in,” she said. “He took away my admin status.”

She believes that the hacker is now making money by selling the contact information of all her followers.

How did a scammer get your password? She has no idea.

We’ve contacted Facebook executives hoping they could investigate, but haven’t heard back yet.

How This New Facebook Scam Works

Unfortunately, scams where someone takes control of your Facebook page or other social media site are all too common.

However, a phishing scheme has affected 10 million people and counting.

So says Chris Cleveland, founder and CEP of PIXM, who recently uncovered a massive phishing campaign on Facebook Messenger.

According to Cleveland, an attack usually begins with a message from someone you know.

But the message is not from your friend, but from a hacker who has taken over your site.

“I get this message,” Cleveland explained, “and I put my credentials in there. Now the hacker can send this message to all my friends (pretending to be me) and spread the word that way.”

In an example provided by PIXM and HelpNet Security, you click on a link to something interesting (or perhaps a government incentive or grant program) that appears to have been sent by a friend.

Once you click the link, you will be redirected to a legitimate ad (making it look official) before being sent back to a fake login page.

Here hackers will ask you to re-enter your Facebook password. Once you do this, they are in control of your account.

How to protect yourself

So how do you protect your information?

According to Cleveland, two-factor authentication is a must, where you receive a text notification before anything is changed on your account.

Beware of unusual requests from friends, e.g. B. Requests to click on something to receive free government funds.

“Even if you trust this person,” Cleveland said, “make sure you contact them first before accepting this call to action or clicking this link.”

Finally, he says that you should never use your Facebook password on other accounts. If the password is compromised in any way, the hacker can access your other social media accounts, even your bank account.

Cissie Young is devastated, unable to reach her Elvis fan club or contact her 32,000 friends.

“I was robbed. I feel hurt,” she said.

She may or may not be a victim of this latest scam, but she is just praying that Facebook recovers her admin credentials for her Elvis fan club.

Bottom line: if something feels weird, don’t click lest you waste your money.

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