You got a strange link in a Facebook message? Don't fall into the trap of fake login pages!

A Facebook login page may be fake, like a passport or a dollar bill. Fraudsters have intensified their attacks on user accounts and are making their methods more sophisticated. Find out what you need to do to avoid losing your confidential information.

Every day we check our Facebook feed and messages from our friends. Our use of social media has become a daily routine. So, you are once again calmly browsing through your chats and receive a shocking message from someone that one of your mutual friends is in a big trouble. You open this message in Messenger, see a link in it and immediately click on it. You have fallen into a trap and now your privacy is at risk! This invitation was a fake used to gain access to your account.

Even experienced users can become victims of scam and fishing

It would seem that we know about such fraudulent methods and have even come across messages from our friends with the text "It seems my account has been hacked! Do not open any links you get from me!" But since we browse Facebook almost automatically, our reactions and vigilance are weakened. And the deceptive appearance of these messages can lead anyone into a trap.

Just by clicking on the link, you get a virus or malware on your mobile device or computer. This way scammers manage to obtain information such as email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, friend lists, and private messages, and therefore end up with information that they can use to target even more victims. But the risks don't end there, because once the authors of these phishing attacks have your account information, they gain access to your accounts on other social networks or websites and sell your information for targeted advertisements. Research into social media phishing has shown that phishing generates millions of dollars in revenue. And even if you quickly realized that you were duped and are in a hurry to change your password, this may be too late, since your account is already in the hands of hackers.

Don't let your guard down to avoid falling into the hands of hackers

If you receive a suspicious message with a link, then you should ignore it, even if you are a little curious. Your safety is more important. Avast reports that 2023 will see an increase in accounts being hacked by scammers using a fake copy of the Facebook login page. How it works? In such cases, you receive a message from another Facebook user with a link to a supposedly new application from Facebook. If you follow the link, instead of a wonderful application, you see a fake Facebook login page. You enter your username and password and voila! Now your account, its data and content are in the hands of hackers!

But if you receive a message with a link from one of your Facebook friends, even in this case you do not need to let your guard down. After all, scammers can fake an invitation from your friend. Another sign of a hacking attempt is when you receive a friend request from users who are already your friends on this social network. Therefore, be careful and do not click right away.

I followed the link, what should I do now?

Do not panic. If you have already clicked on a link or entered your details on a suspicious site, you can protect your account by doing the following:

• Go to the Facebook menu and find the Settings & Privacy section.
• Click Settings.
• Enter the Meta Account Center field.

Here you can change your password and manage your logins, as well as sign out of unknown devices.

Change your password if you suspect hacking

• To change your account password, click Security & Login and then Change Password.
• Select the account or accounts where you will be changing the password and enter the new password.

To view your logins and remove unknown devices, click Security & Login and then Where you are logged in. Once there, you will be able to see all your logins and close old or unknown sessions.

It is recommended to use two-step verification, which is offered by Facebook. By activating this protection method, you will receive alerts if someone else tries to access your account.

Facebook also recommends that users report any spam or hacking attempts so that the social network can take action on the matter and provide assistance to you. You can use Facebook Help Center. Also be sure to let your contacts, friends, and family know about this scam so they know it's not you, help you report the message, and don't click the link.