Beware of Facebook Messaging Scam That Has Fooled Half a Million People

A Facebook phishing scam potentially may have fooled 500,000 users, claims a security research team from CyberNews.

This alleged “Is that you” phishing attempt was detected as far back as January 2020 and used Facebook Messenger as its attack vector.

The message appears to be sent from a friend who claims to have found a video with you in it.

Curious users then click on the link to watch the video. The link, of course, does not point to a video file.

The link instead opens a series of websites that are infected with malicious scripts designed to steal your information and infect your device with adware or malware.

The scripts reportedly can parse your location information, identify the type of device you are using and discern the operating system that powers the device.

The hacked web page may even prompt you to log in so it can steal your login credentials.

Depending on the device, the scripts also may be able to install malware or adware that could be difficult to remove from your device.

The scam was spotted online in January 2020 and appeared to be targeting Facebook users in Germany, as more than 77 percent of victims live in the country.

CyberNews estimates that more than 480,000 Facebook users have fallen victim to the phishing campaign in the weeks it has been circulating.