Recently TechCrunch and CNN reported that Facebook users are not immune to phishing attempts. CNN reported that some Facebook users have seen their accounts compromised and their friends solicited for cash. One example given was a Facebook user supposedly messaged his friends claiming that he had been robbed in London and needed money wired to him right away.
from CNN:
Fears of impostors increase on Facebook
Without his input, Bryan Rutberg’s Facebook status update — the way friends track each other — suddenly changed on January 21 to this frightening alert: “Bryan NEEDS HELP URGENTLY!!!”
His online friends saw the message and came to his aid. Some posted concerned messages on his public profile — “What’s happening????? What do you need?” one wrote. Another friend, Beny Rubinstein, got a direct message saying Rutberg had been robbed at gunpoint in London and needed money to get back to the United States.
So, trying to be a good friend, Rubinstein wired $1,143 to London in two installments, according to police in Bellevue, Washington.
Meanwhile, Rutberg was safe at home in Seattle.
Rubinstein told CNN he misses the money, but it’s perhaps more upsetting to feel tricked by someone who impersonated his friend on Facebook, a social-networking site where millions of friends converse freely online.
“It’s an invasion of your whole privacy, who your friends are,” he said.
Even more frightening are the depths scammers will dig to get information to use against your friends. TechCrunch published a transcript of an instant message exchange between a user and a scammer who gleaned information about the person he was interpreting from the photos in the account.
from TechCrunch:
Latest Facebook Scam: Phishers Hit Up “Friends” for Cash
Today we received a transcript from Rakesh Agrawal, President/CEO of SnapStream, that shows how the scammer dug through his friend Matt’s profile to learn about his wife and children. Fortunately, he didn’t do quite enough digging.
7:20am Matt:
hi
whats up?7:20am Rakesh:
Hi Matt
Everything OK?7:21am Matt
well,im really stuck here in london
i had to visit a resort here in london and i got robbed at the hotel im staying7:22am Rakesh
ack… that’s terrible. Sorry to hear it.7:22am Matt
yeah,thanks
we just want some helo flying back home7:23am Rakesh
So why are you stuck there?’7:23am Matt
all my money to get a ticket back home got stolen7:25am Rakesh
I didn’t understand this “we just want some helo flying back home”7:25am Matt
help*
actually i got some money wired to me to catch a flight back home
but we still need $800 more to complete our ticket fee and fly back home7:26am Rakesh
good
Honestly, it sounds like someone’s hacked your Facebook account and is using it to defraud your friends.7:26am Matt
i have the money in my checking acct,i cant just access it from here
this really me
Lauren is here with me
and my kids7:28am Rakesh
your wife’s name is on your profile page7:28am Matt
what about my kids name?7:28am Rakesh
in photos?
how do we know each other? when did we meet?7:29am Matt
from schoolRakesh writes that he does not know Matt “from school”, and that he was blocked as soon as the impostor realized he was on to him.
Moral of the story? Take steps to protect yourself and your account. Practice vigilance. Here are some tips from the CNN article:
- Be suspicious of anyone — even friends — who ask for money over the Internet. Verify their circumstances independently, either by calling them directly, or checking with mutual friends.
- Choose a strong password and use unique credentials for each of your Web accounts. Facebook says hackers tap into one site and then try to reuse passwords on others.
- Use an up-to-date browser that features an anti-phishing blacklist.
- Use and run anti-virus software on your computer.
- Reset your Facebook password if you suspect your account has been compromised.
- Have more than one contact e-mail address. This will help if one of them is hacked.
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Oh god, I don’t believe this. Anyway thanks for dealing with Facebook Impostors. I think we should remain alert about all those staff.
Its incredible. Thanks for writing on Facebook Impostors. I think all your readers will be benefited to read it.
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This is a very comprehensive article on Facebook Impostors
. Indeed, we have to be careful in handling our personal accounts. We just cannot fall victims to these scammers.