MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2021) Global cyber intelligence company Group-IB has uncovered a large-scale scam that tricked Facebook Messenger users in over 80 countries into leaking their personal information on fraudulent websites.
"Group-IB Digital Risk Protection (DRP) analysts have found evidence proving that users in over 80 countries in Europe, Asia, the MEA region, North and South America might have been affected. By distributing ads promoting an allegedly updated version of Facebook Messenger, cybercriminals harvested users' login credentials," the company stated.
According to the press release, Group-IB has discovered about 1,000 fake Facebook accounts distributing links to an allegedly updated version of Facebook Messenger. Users who followed the link would then be redirected to a fake Facebook Messenger website with a login form, through which cybercriminals harvested users' credentials.
Scammers used official Facebook logos and shortened link Names that resembled the real ones. Group-IB stressed that the social media giant itself has nothing to do with the scheme.
The scale of the scam has grown substantially over the past several months, the company noted. As of April, investigative team found 5,600 Facebook posts inviting users to install the fake "latest Messenger update."
Scammers reportedly attracted new users by adding new made-up options to the ads promoting the fake updates and, in some cases, even used blackmail, threatening to block the account permanently if the person did not follow the link.
Users who fall victim to the scheme risk leaking their personal data and have their account hijacked, the company warned. Scammers will then either extort money for returning the account or use it to further spread the fraudulent links.
