Identity Scammers Can Target You and Your Friends on Facebook
Watch out, Facebook users! Identity scammers are now targeting your FRIENDS – and YOU! Take Bryan Rutberg. His daughter was the first to notice something odd about his Facebook page. One night, she ran into his bedroom and asked why he’d changed his status to: “BRYAN IS IN URGENT NEED OF HELP!” Rutberg didn’t think much about it, but an hour later, he took a second look and realized his Facebook account had been hacked. Within minutes, his cell phone was ringing non-stop, with concerned friends calling to offer help. Many had received an email saying that he’d been robbed at gunpoint while traveling in the UK, and needed money to get home. One friend even sent $1,200 to a Western Union branch in London. Hackers had taken over Rutberg’s account, and even worse - they’d changed his login credentials so he couldn’t access his own Facebook page to remove the status message. He tried to use his wife’s account to post something on his “wall” saying he was fine, but the scammers had “de-friended” his wife, so he couldn’t. He did finally manage to get his account deactivated, but by that time, a friend’s impulsive generosity had cost him big-time.
Rutberg was the victim of a new type of scam. Facebook is currently beefing up security in reaction to the incident, but users have complained about the length of time it’s taking. So in the meantime, here are a few tips to protect yourself. These come from Kevin Haley, director of security at Symantec Corporation, which aims to protect online users. We got them from MSNBC.
- Be suspicious of anyone, even friends, who ask for money. Verify their circumstances, preferably by direct phone contact.
- Also, don’t use the same password for all online accounts. Since Facebook is so popular, criminals who manage to steal someone’s information will surely try to hack their other online accounts, too.
- Make sure you have more than one contact email address, in case one is compromised.
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