A variation on an old Facebook scam has recently resurfaced.  In the new scam you receive a Facebook Message that merely says “Look Who Died?” and is followed by a link that leads you to a website where you are prompted to provide personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft.  Alternatively, merely clicking on the link, in some instances, has downloaded destructive malware to your phone, computer or tablet.

This new scam is a variation of one about which I have written about previously in which you receive a Facebook Message that contains a video and the words “Is it you in the video” as a prompt to get you to click on the video which either takes you to a website where you are prompted to provide personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft or, again, merely by clicking on the link, you will download malware.

TIPS

Remember my motto, BS – Be skeptical.  Whenever you get a Facebook message, email, or text message you can never be sure who is really contacting you.  The “friend” you think is communicating with you may well be a criminal who has managed to hack your friend’s Facebook account, email account or phone and use these accounts to send out phishing messages that lure you into clicking on infected links.  Never click on a link unless you have absolutely confirmed that it is legitimate.

In the case of this particular Facebook Messenger scam, instead of clicking on the link or providing your user name and password, you should contact your real friend to determine if they sent the message to you.  Additionally, it is always a good idea to use dual factor authentication whenever possible for all of your online accounts so that if somehow you are tricked into providing your user name and password, the criminal still wouldn’t be able to gain access to your account.   Here is a link to information about setting up dual factor authentication on your Facebook account. https://www.facebook.com/help/148233965247823

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