‘Look who just died’ Facebook scam is stealing personal info, money of users via fake news link

A Facebook scam that is now being called ‘Look who just died’ is making rounds on the internet these days. The hackers are cleverly tricking Facebook users to click on a malicious link that helps them get access to their personal information and money, claiming that someone they know just died.

Facebook scam alert

In this scam, the hackers identifying to be a close friend or family member of the user approach a victim via message saying ‘Look who just died’. This message is accompanied by a link that looks like a legitimate news article.

These messages sometimes also include phrases like ‘so sad’ or ‘I know you know him’ making them even more believable.

Once the victim clicks on the link, they are asked to enter their Facebook username and password to read further details. As soon as the user gives these details, their account is taken over by the hacker locking them out of their own accounts. These hackers then send the same message to the victim’s friend list.

Hackers can then steal personal information like email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates that can be used to get into non-Facebook accounts. If the account has bank details or any financial information, these bad actors can even steal money from the victims.

In some cases, the fake news link installs malware on the victim’s computer. With this malware, they can get access to personal photos, passwords or confidential documents stored on the computer.  

Experts have warned that though this scam is circulating on Facebook Messenger only, it can also appear as text or email.

To stay away from such scammers, Facebook users are warned not to click on any suspicious link. They should also make sure that the link is shared by someone you actually know or if they are a stranger. In case you still fall prey to such scams, you should immediately change your Facebook password so that the damage caused by the hacker is minimum.

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