Beware “Is it you in the video” Messenger Scam

This new scam, as reported by Sophos security company, is deviously aimed at tricking people into revealing their Facebook login credentials which can then be used for nefarious purposes. The scam works like this: One of your friends is tricked into revealing his or her Facebook login credentials and you then receive the following message via Facebook Messenger, supposedly coming from this friend:

(image: credit Sophos)

Now, if that message was coming from some unknown source, you’d more than likely treat it with the distrust it deserves. However, with the message seemingly emanating from a friend, you are much more likely to trust it and, let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to take a look-see. There is no video, of course, and clicking the black image links to a fake Facebook login page:

(image: credit Sophos)

“Facebook needs to verify your account information to allow access to this video”

You input your Facebook login details and… voilà, the crooks now have access to your Facebook account and all your friends. The result is, of course, that you and your friends are now open to all sorts of scams and rip-offs. This scam is particularly effective for the following reasons:

• The message appears to be coming from a friend so is apparently trustworthy
• The message cleverly arouses natural human curiosity
• The fabricated Facebook login page, while under closer scrutiny is obviously fake, does appear to be legit to the casual observer

Do NOT fall for this scam. Do NOT click on the link and, under no circumstances, enter your Facebook login credentials anywhere but on the official Facebook site or app.

Thank you to Sophos for bringing this scam to our attention. You can read the full Sophos report on the Naked Security blog: “Is it you in the video?” – don’t fall for this Messenger scam

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