Facebook users in Gedling borough are at risk of their accounts being hacked and then used to con money out of their friends, security experts have warned.
Scam-busting agency Action Fraud say fraudsters are hacking into Facebook accounts through unknown means and then changing the password and phone number of the owner.
The fraudsters then message the hacked victims’ friends to ask them to receive payments through PayPal for various reasons.
They also ask for their phone number so they can communicate through WhatsApp.
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The fraudsters then convince the victim to receive funds into their PayPal account and then transfer them across into a bank account of the scammers choice.
They then carry out a ‘chargeback’. This is when a buyer asks a credit card issuer to reverse a transaction that has already cleared in PayPal. This leaves the PayPal account holder out of pocket as they have already sent the money to the fraudster’s bank account.
A spokesman for Action Fraud said: “If you receive a suspicious message from a friend on Facebook, contact them via other means to check the message is genuine.
“Create a strong password. Use three words which mean something to you but are random to others – this creates a password that is strong and more memorable. You should change passwords often and never use the same one twice.”
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