SYDNEY — Billions of Facebook users in Australia have been warned about a new scam called "look who just died", which is designed to steal personal information and money by claiming the death of someone they know.
The 'look who just died' scam is the newest scheme used by hackers on the social media platform.
According to Daily Mail, the scam begins with a direct message from a hacker posing as a friend that says "look who just died" and includes a link to what appears to be a news article.
The message might also include terms such as "so sad" or "I know you know him" to trap users into thinking they know the person.
To read the article about the alleged death, victims are asked to enter their Facebook username and password.
The link to the fake news contains malware that allows scammers to steal login information and personal details from Facebook users.
The victim is then locked out of their account and taken over by the hacker who sends the same message to their friends' list.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]Moreover, the report said that the scammers can then steal any personal data associated with the Facebook account, such as email addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates, which they can then use to break into non-Facebook accounts.
Notably, if the account contains bank details or financial information, hackers can steal the user's money.
While the phishing scam is most commonly seen on Facebook, experts warn that it can also appear in an email or text message, the report mentioned.
Experts recommend users not click on any links in suspicious messages, and when in doubt, speak with a friend to determine if the message is legitimate.
Australians have reported losing more than 11.5 million dollars in 2023 alone from phishing scams, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) Scamwatch.
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Meanwhile, a report showed that every seven minutes, a customer in the UK falls victim to an online shopping scam originating in one of the two Meta-owned platforms, costing consumers more than 5,00,000 pounds per week.
Research from the UK-based Lloyds Banking Group estimated that over two-thirds of all online shopping scams affecting consumers start on Facebook and Instagram.