Be careful on Messenger! Scammers are having fun making you believe that your Facebook account will be suspended within 24 hours and inviting you to file a complaint. Of course, this is a scam.
Like any good self-respecting social network, Facebook is home to its share of scams – false classified ads, phishing links, romantic or employment scams… It is therefore advisable to be careful when browsing and dealing with messages that you can receive. A moment of inattention and you can fall into the clutches of scammers and see your personal data stolen. Sometimes, cybercriminals contact you directly via Messenger, Meta’s instant messaging service which is directly linked to the social network.
Like many users, you may receive a message from a supposed Meta “help center” stating: “We are sending you this message from the Support and Action Center. Statistics have shown that your page posts actions that violate the standards for images and content posted on the page.” Simply put, your posts would have violated Facebook’s regulations. The message then warns: “Your complaint will be processed and your account permanently blocked within the next 24 hours.” THE everything is accompanied by a link supposed to allow you to submit a complaint in order to restore the situation. Don’t click on it, it’s a scam!
Messenger scam: a message from a fake help center
Indeed, this is not the real support center, but an identity theft. The scam relies on social engineering, seeking to create a sense of urgency to prevent you from thinking. So, if you click on the link, you are redirected to a page in English, including the official Meta logo and the following message: “The security of your account is at risk. We have temporarily blocked your account because your Facebook Protect settings have been changed“. There is no longer any question of an account suspension within 24 hours, because it has already been suspended.
A new link is supposed to allow us to recover your account, but it actually leads to a fake Meta support page and tricks you into entering various confidential information (usernames, passwords, phone number, etc.). And bam, the trap closes!
Keep in mind that Meta will never contact you by private message to notify you of the upcoming suspension of your account. Also, never click on these kinds of links and immediately block your interlocutor. Spelling mistakes can sometimes give you a clue. In any case, do not act in haste and take the time to do an Internet search to find out if other Internet users have already received similar messages.
In case of attempted fraud, report it to the platform Signal Spam – just register for free – or that of the government Pharos. If you have already fallen into the trap: change your password immediately, activate double authentication.