Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
The latest example of just how reprehensible some hackers can be is a scam making its way around Facebook called the “Look who died” scam. The website tomsguide.com is helping to spread the word about this malicious attempt to gain access to your personal data. Here's the way it works. You receive a message or notice from what appears to be a friend informing you of the death of a mutual friend or relative. In the message is a link to a “news article” about your friend or relative. As you might suspect, the news article is completely fake and is actually a “phishing” site designed to steal your personal information. According to the tomsguide.com article, victims are prompted to give their Facebook username and password in order to gain access to the article. Providing this information is an easy way for cyber-goons to hack your Facebook page. Not only that, these hackers can then infect your computer with malware. On top of that, once they have access to your Facebook information, they can then turn around and attempt to prey on your friends and contacts, starting a ripple effect.
It is advised that, just as you would be extra careful when checking your email, you should be just as careful when checking messages on social media sites. If the message is from someone you haven't conversed with in a long time, chances are good that you are actually conversing with a hacker. Be extra cautious about clicking on any links. As an extra precaution, it is advised to keep your device protected with the most up-to-date antivirus software you can find.
Remember, hackers love to take advantage of people's emotions and they attempt to lure you into a sense of urgency. In this case, a little skepticism could save you some major headaches.