What Is ‘Look Who Just Died’ Scam On Facebook?

International

oi-Deepika S

If you ever get a message on Facebook that says, ‘Look who just died’, don’t click that link as it might be a trap to steal your personal data.

Yes, ‘Look who just died’ is a new scam designed to steal personal information and money by claiming the death of someone they know.

What is the ‘Look who just died’ scam?

The ‘Look who just died’ is similar to a phishing scam where cybercriminals play with the emotions of their targets by falsely reporting the death of someone they supposedly know. A lot of people in Australia have fallen for the scam and lost their personal data.

According to reports, hackers impersonating a friend send a direct message on Facebook that says something like ‘Look who just died’ and includes a link to a news article.

Sometimes, the message even mentions that you know the person or expresses sadness to make it seem more believable. However, it is a trap.

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If you go ahead and click on the link to read the article, you are mysteriously logged out of your account, taken back to your account’s login screen, and instructed to log in again.

When you enter the login details, hackers will get access to your personal details from your Facebook account.

Your email addresses, birth dates, phone numbers, private messages, and of course a list of friends, who could become the next potential victims will be sent to the hackers.

The hackers use that sensitive information to break into non-Facebook accounts or sell on the dark web.

• Scammers can approach your friends seeking financial assistance or a loan.
• Hackers can engage in any illegal activity, which you could be held responsible for.
• Fraudsters can send the same message to your friends to expand their scam chain.

This phishing scam can appear on your other social media accounts like Twitter, Instagram and also in emails or text messages. So, you need to be aware of these scams.

Do not click on any links in suspicious messages. And spread the word to save others.

Phishing scams are not new. Australians have reported losing over 11.5 million dollars to phishing scams in 2023 alone.

A report revealed that a customer falls victim to an online shopping scam on either Facebook or Instagram every seven minutes in the United Kingdom.