The intended victim receives a message via Facebook messenger from a ‘friend’.
The ‘friend’ asks the victim if they could use their mobile number for a text verification.
When the victim supplies the mobile number, they later receive a text message asking them to verify a purchase.
When the victim replies ‘y’ for yes they are informed that they have been charged for the items and the amount will appear on their next phone bill.
It appears that the ‘friends’ Facebook and/or Messenger account will have been hacked.
This scam works because of an automatic trust between friends. If in doubt, contact the friend by a tried, tested and trusted means ideally a voice call, and ask them whether or not they had sent the message. Please also consider, this type of scam could be achieved through other instant message service platforms such as WhatsApp.
The word hack, suggests a high level of skill and knowledge to break into an online account, generally this is not the case and it is down to a weak password. To help prevent your online accounts being unlawfully accessed, please ensure you have a strong and unique password on each of your email and social media accounts. Use three random words including upper and lowercase, numbers and characters.
Enable two-factor authentication.
Any questions please contact me.
Mr Nigel Sutton 8517
Cyber Protect Officer
