Facebook users targeted in a new phishing campaign

According to an investigation by CyberNews, an enormous phishing operation on Facebook could have put 500,000 users at risk in the space of just two weeks. 

This comes just as users face the news that 500 million phone numbers have been compromised in a Telegram data breach. 

Now, the latest Facebook scandal involves a malicious message on Facebook Messenger, which appears to be part of a much larger scam that targets account holders. 

The investigation says that it has “potentially” found the scammer involved in the phishing campaign. And, it’s currently believed that the objective is to add malware or adware to devices. 

How does the scam work?

This is a new version of the “is that you?” scam, which has appeared numerous times in the last few years. The message contains a message with a picture or video. But, when the user clicks on the message, it opens websites that contain malicious scripts. 

Among the information, they are able to access the device they are using, their operating system, and their location. These details are harvested before the device is infected with malware or adware. 

Facebook has methods for stopping these types of campaigns. However, the perpetrator has, on this occasion, temporarily bypassed the security measures. 

The latest breakdown suggests that 70% of victims are using the Android operating system, and around 25% are using Apple iOS. Location-wise, the researchers say that 77% of the targets were Facebook users in Germany. 

How consumers can protect themselves

With the risk of online scams so high, it’s essential that consumers are vigilant in protecting themselves from the growing risks. 

Whether they are targeted via Facebook, email, or another method, Android and Apple operating systems are, particularly at risk. 

Some of the protective measures you can take include: 

• Always creating unique and complex passwords
• Having different passwords for each account
• Use multi-factor authentication where possible
• Always be cautious of messages that are received, even those from contacts