New Yorkers Should Beware This New, Unusually Cruel Facebook Scam #nigeria | #nigeriascams | #lovescams

Facebook scams can be super convincing or laughably dumb. But this one is just downright mean.

Unfortunately, Facebook is a popular platform for scams, and fresh ones do surface from time to time. If one of your friends sends you a DM and the wording doesn’t sound right coming from them, then it’s possible they’ve been hacked and you should report the message. Sometimes you’ll get a DM from one of your tertiary friends that would never even DM you in the first place.

That’s what happened to me, and it was a huge red flag. Just because you’re “friends” with someone on Facebook doesn’t mean you’re… well, friends. Some of your friends are just acquaintances, and sometimes not even that. Most people have a general idea who they’re on a DMing basis with.

Typically the message will read, “Look who died in an accident. I think you know him. So sorry.” There may or may not be crying emojis attached at the end of it. It’s then followed by a suspicious link. 

This is a classic Facebook scam tactic: using a forceful, emotionally-charged message to get you to click on a link, which is most likely a phishing scam to get your personal information.

If you encounter such a message, report it to Facebook immediately.

If you think you’ve clicked on a suspicious link, experts say the first thing you should do is change your Facebook password immediately. They also say you should disconnect from the internet to help prevent further communication between your devices and whatever might be phishing you.

Remember to always exercise caution when clicking a link on Facebook messenger, no matter how trustworthy it may appear.

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