Facebook users are being warned that hackers are stealing accounts and swindling people out of thousands of dollars as part of new scam schemes.
Cybercriminals are turning friendship into fraud by using the stolen accounts to create fake listings for items to steal money from her online ‘friends’.
In one case, a Texas woman named Erin Jackson realized she was locked out of her account when she tried to sign in to her Facebook page and found a hacker had already listed items for sale.
The post claimed her dad was moving into an assisted care facility and she needed to sell the items quickly, but no such items existed.
Another person became a victim earlier this year when a hacker gained access to his account and falsely listed items including tractors, four-wheelers and airline tickets for sale.
In each case, Facebook’s parent company Meta reportedly took days to fix the issue, giving the hackers time to steal money from more unsuspecting users.
Reports of hackers taking over Facebook user’s accounts are on the rise, with an average of 68,000 users searching for help with a hacked Facebook account on Google in the last year alone.
Malvertising campaigns have also skyrocketed on the platform as hackers use ads that promote games, adult content and other software to gain access to people’s accounts by stealing login details, browsing history and cookies.
Users are advised to take steps to protect their accounts including setting up two-factor authentication and avoid clicking on any suspicious links or advertisements.