Facebook scam! Fake verified profiles impersonating as Meta are stealing users’ data

  • Messages received from these verified accounts usually start with warning social media managers that they will no longer be able to manage ad accounts in the browser due to some ‘security issue’.

Livemint
Published8 May 2023, 12:07 PM IST
Random profiles verified with a Blue Tick are messaging users with a spurious link on Facebook.
Random profiles verified with a Blue Tick are messaging users with a spurious link on Facebook.(REUTERS)

A new Facebook scam has come into the spotlight. According to a report by TechCrunch, random profiles verified with a Blue Tick are messaging users with a spurious link aimed at stealing their personal information and money.

Social media expert Matt Navarra has shared a screenshot that shows a fake message received from a verified account impersonating as ‘Meta Ads’.

“How did this ad get approved @Meta? Verified account impersonating Meta tricking users into downloading shady tools,” reads Navarra’s tweet.

However, this is not the only instance. Navarra has shared another screenshot of a message received from a fake but verified account named Meta Ads Manager.

Messages received from these verified accounts usually start with warning social media managers that they will no longer be able to manage ad accounts in the browser due to some ‘security issue’. It then shares a download link to enable users to download new Manager tool that is claimed to be a ‘more professional and secure tool’.

"The new manager is packed with new features that are able to reach your target audience better, and automatically optimise ads better," the post reads.

What is more worrisome is that these posts have nearly 950 reactions and over 140 comments. But users must remember that it is a scam and the shared links redirect them to install malware. Once downloaded, the malware can steal the user's data or gain access to the system.

In another news, anyone in the US who has had a Facebook account at any time since May 24, 2007, can now apply for their share of a USD 725 million privacy settlement that parent company Meta has agreed to pay.

Meta is paying to settle a lawsuit alleging the world's largest social media platform allowed millions of its users' personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

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First Published:8 May 2023, 12:07 PM IST
Business NewsNewsWorldFacebook scam! Fake verified profiles impersonating as Meta are stealing users’ data

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