Mar 142 min read

The Dark Way Scammers Steal Business Facebook account and Take Over Groups

Scammers stealing Facebook accounts are nothing new but the new way they are doing it is even scarier. We would like to remind you right away, that Facebook will never reach out, never message you, and never ask you to call them.

The scams start with the scammers messaging a real business with a burner Facebook account, stating that their account is scheduled to be deleted, suspended, or has copyright issues.

Now when most people see this for the first time may think it is real in the moment of stress. But these are all fake. Usually, they set their profile pic to something that looks semi-official like a support icon, and links to a fake image or website image showing you how to contact "Facebook to get your account fixed". Some of them even share a link for you to conveniently click on.

If you click on the link they send you, you might be sent to another Facebook page and asked to sign in again. once you do this, you quite literally give them your login because this login might look real but is just a fake page made to look real. if this happens, immediately change your password, in settings and make sure you do not have a login from an unknown location. The damage a scammer can do in a matter of minutes on your account can be huge from messaging the same scam link to all your clients to posting scams on your Facebook pages, to even posting inappropriate images. this damage can not just damage your Facebook page but also your business credibility.

The second way the scam can work is they refer you to a fake website that tells you to call the number so "Facebook to resolve the issue". We can't stress this enough this is all fake.

When you call they will try to get you to download peer-to-peer software that allows them to access your computer and steal your info and will always try to get you to give them either banking details to verify, or even ask you to make a payment to them.

Now where are these scams coming from? most of these scam centers are in poorer communities in Nigeria and India. Once you send them money, there is no way to get it back. As well as once they get into your Facebook account and lock you out, you are in big trouble.

How can you prevent this? First, never trust any message claiming to be from Facebook or anyone reaching out and claiming this. Additionally, never click a link sent to you or even email you. If you have fallen for any Facebook, social media, or other forms of scams and would like to tell your story, send us an email, we would be honored to tell your story and help prevent others from falling for these terrible scams.

Below are some more examples of the scam messages that we have received from our businesses.