Facebook has become an addiction for many of us so it's hard not to share news when it's so easy. But as ABC2 News Joce Sterman explains, all that status updating may make it easier for scam artists to pull a fast one.
You post status updates about what you're doing and pictures of the people you love. Facebook is the digital hub for the happenings in your life. And scam artists love every detail because those little nuggets make it easier for them to carry out a money transfer scam that's making the rounds. Angie Barnett with the Better Business Bureau says, "It morphed from phone calls to email and now they're using social networking."
The scammers are using networking to get money. And they do it by getting access to someone's password for social networking sites. Then they start emailing or instant messaging or posting status updates for their Facebook friends. They often claim they're in a foreign country or that they're stranded, in trouble or hurt. And they end up asking for hundreds of dollars to bail them out of the bad situation. Barnett says it’s an easy sell, "Because it's a friend, somebody you trust. You want to step up and assist them."
The con artists truly seem like the friend whose identity they've captured because they've used details from the pictures and information on their page to get into character and carry out the scam. That's why Facebook is warning users to be careful if you get messages from friends in distress. It may just be cybercriminals hoping to bring you some bad luck of your own.
Facebook asks anyone who's received messages like the ones we mentioned to report them. They've created a special form you'll find on their security page.
