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clock-iconPUBLISHEDMarch 25, 2022
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If Someone Sends You This On Facebook Messenger, Don't Click The Link

Dr. Alfredo Carpineti headshot

Dr. Alfredo Carpineti

Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College London.

Space & Physics Editor

Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College London.View full profile

Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College London.

View full profile
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“Look what I found.” Image Credit: Mehaniq/Shutterstock.com


A phishing scam is doing the rounds on Facebook Messenger – and it uses just four words to trick people into sharing their details.

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The scam is spread from compromised accounts of friends and family and has an innocuous message: “look what I found.” It is followed not by a cute picture of a raccoon in a party hat, but by a link.

Clicking on the link prompts the user to log in to Facebook again – only it’s not the real Facebook, but another website designed to steal your data, install malware on your device, or take over your account.

This is only one of many such scams that have proliferated lately, and people often do not realize they have become victims. There’s been a series of scams trying to get people to invest in crypto on Instagram, plus stories both on Facebook and Instagram asking people to send a message to the author if they need financial help – a particularly callous one.

It is not always obvious spotting a scam. Be cautious if the message is unusual or unexpected or if the grammar doesn’t make sense. Ask what the link is about, make sure that it is a legitimate profile messaging you, and contact the person via other methods if you think a real profile has been compromised.

[h/t: 7NEWS]   


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