Most Facebook users will be familiar with the infamous “Is This You?” scam. It has been a common feature on Facebook for the past five years, first starting in 2017. The way the scam works is that a user might receive a message, possibly from a Facebook friend, that would contain a video link along with a message asking if they are the ones in the video. The implication is that the person in question did something embarrassing which was caught on video and has now gone viral.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the link does not lead to a video at all. Instead, clicking on it would just give the malicious actors behind these attacks all of your log in information which they can then sell to the highest bidder with all things having been considered and taken into account.
The analysts over at Cybernews have finally managed to discover who is behind these scams, and their investigation led them all the way to the Dominican Republic where it is assumed that at least five of the suspects currently reside. They have told the authorities all that they know, and only time will tell whether or not they would be able to apprehend them.
In spite of the fact that this is the case, the possibility of this being the work of a cyber criminal gang highlights how insecure Facebook is as a platform. Populated mainly by an aging user base, many of whom are not very tech savvy, Facebook has become a bit of a playground where malicious actors can easily target unsuspecting users.
This also goes to show why you should never click on a link, even if it comes from someone you know, without asking what it is first. Malicious actors often use log in details to send the message to as many people in that person’s friend’s list if they can, and this leads to an exponential spread of the hack which just keeps growing faster as time goes by.
Read next: Meta Publishes New Privacy Policy With More Clarity About Its Data Practices
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the link does not lead to a video at all. Instead, clicking on it would just give the malicious actors behind these attacks all of your log in information which they can then sell to the highest bidder with all things having been considered and taken into account.
The analysts over at Cybernews have finally managed to discover who is behind these scams, and their investigation led them all the way to the Dominican Republic where it is assumed that at least five of the suspects currently reside. They have told the authorities all that they know, and only time will tell whether or not they would be able to apprehend them.
In spite of the fact that this is the case, the possibility of this being the work of a cyber criminal gang highlights how insecure Facebook is as a platform. Populated mainly by an aging user base, many of whom are not very tech savvy, Facebook has become a bit of a playground where malicious actors can easily target unsuspecting users.
This also goes to show why you should never click on a link, even if it comes from someone you know, without asking what it is first. Malicious actors often use log in details to send the message to as many people in that person’s friend’s list if they can, and this leads to an exponential spread of the hack which just keeps growing faster as time goes by.
Read next: Meta Publishes New Privacy Policy With More Clarity About Its Data Practices
