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Compromised Facebook Accounts Used To Lure Victims Into Pay Pal Scam
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Good afternoon,
Action Fraud have advised that there has been a surge of reports where
the recipient has received messages through Facebook Messenger from
friends/family requesting to use their Pay Pal account to receive funds
from the sale of items on eBay. Overall, between 1st June 2020 and 31st
July 2020 a total of 95 reports have been made which specifically
mention that the item sold was a camera.
Messages are sent by fraudsters purporting to be friends/family stating
that they have sold a camera on eBay but that they are unable to process
the payment as they either do not have a Pay Pal account or because
their Pay Pal account is not working. The request is that the message
recipient receives the funds into their own Pay Pal account, then, after
transferring it into their own bank account, they forward it onto an
account controlled by the fraudster.
If the victim agrees the payment is transferred into their Pay Pal
account but, after the money is transferred out, the initial transaction
is reversed leaving the account in negative balance. Multiple reports
have also been received from victims stating that their Facebook
Messenger accounts have been hacked and that these fraudulent messages
have been sent to all their contacts on their behalf.
The total reported loss for these reports is £44,035.
What you need to do:
Verify financial requests - Be wary of unusual messages asking for
assistance with financial transactions. Even if the message appears to
be from someone you know and trust, you should check it's really them
that sent the message by calling them or speaking with them in person.
Unusual financial requests - Never respond to any requests to send
money, or have money transferred through your account, by someone you do
not know and trust.
Secure your accounts - You can protect your important online accounts by
using a strong separate password and, where available, turn on two -
factor authentication (2FA).
If you have made a payment - Inform your bank, or payment service
provider, such as PayPal, as soon as possible. They can help you prevent
any further losses. You should also monitor your bank statements
regularly for any unusual activity.
*/Message Sent By/*
Dannielle Lee (Police, Cyber Protect Officer, South Yorkshire)
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