A widespread fraud targeting Facebook Messenger users has been discovered by internet experts. Researchers at the security firm Group-IB revealed this week that attackers behind the scheme are hijacking victims' accounts, with the campaign affecting at least 84 countries, including Canada, the United States, Singapore, and South Africa. According to Group-IB, the online scammers distributed ads promoting a fake updated version of Messenger and redirected those who clicked on the ad to a separate webpage, where they were asked to input their login details. Nearly 1,000 fake Facebook profiles were involved in the scam, according to the Singapore-based company. Researchers first identified the fake update scam in the summer of 2020, and since then, the number of posts related to the fraud has steadily increased.
How can you protect yourself from hackers and scammers? Follow these steps to safeguard yourself from future intrusions, according to The Sun newspaper:
- Create a "strong" password consisting of 8 or more characters including a mix of uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks for banking transactions unless absolutely necessary.
- Do not click on phishing email links claiming to be from banks.
- Use different passwords for different sites.
- Never reuse your main email password.
- Use antivirus software.
- Do not accept friend requests on Facebook from people you do not know.
- Think carefully before sharing your personal information on social media.
- Only shop online from secure websites.
- Do not store your bank card details on websites.
