“It was a huge hassle you’ve got a password for everything,” Donovan said. She said she quickly changed her passwords to all of her accounts and unlinked accounts from her Google. “I felt like an idiot when I realized the moment hit me that I’m being scammed, and I didn’t even see it coming,” Donovan said. She said that's when she realized she almost got caught up in a scam. why would you need a different phone number?'" Donovan said.
“She kept on pestering me for other phone numbers, and I started wondering, 'Something’s not right about this. Donovan's phone number was already verified with Google, blocking access for the scammer. She then gave the scammer the code, but fortunately for Donovan, it didn't work. “She wanted to make sure that I wasn’t a scammer, so she needed my phone number,” Kathy Donovan said.Īfter Donovan gave the scammer her phone number, she got an alert on her phone from Google with a code. But instead of messaging on Facebook, the scammer asks for a phone number.
There's a new scam circulating Facebook Marketplace - scammers are using your phone number, plus a code, to get into your Google accounts.Ī person may post something on Marketplace, like a couch, and moments later, someone messages saying they're interested.
Stay away from these traps if you want to avoid giving away personal information or getting your PC infected with malware.HAMPTON ROADS, Va. Be especially cautious of “friending” strangers, and of clicking on links in suspicious posts, and in messages. Avoid personal and financial heartbreak, don’t “friend” people you don’t know in real life.įacebook is used for connecting with people you know. These scammers typically shower you with romantic language, promise happiness, and eventually con you into giving up personal information, or even money.
If you click on one of these “videos” you’ll be asked to update your video player (similar to the scam above) but a virus will be downloaded and installed instead.
Viral Videos:Viral videos are huge on social media platforms.That site then claims your Adobe Flash player is broken and you need to update it – but malware is installed instead! These scams are in the form of an ad or a post and have a link to bogus YouTube videos. Fake Naked Videos:There are tons of fake naked videos being posted all the time using the names of celebrities like Rihanna or Taylor Swift that sometimes make it past the Facebook moderators.
But when you click, your profile will be exposed to the scammer and worse things happen afterward.