This Facebook Messenger scam tricks you into clicking a virus link

In this modern age where everyone is connected online, you need to be more wary than ever of potential scams. Unfortunately there’s no shortage of ways scammers will try to take advantage of you, and their tricks only get harder to spot as scams become more sophisticated. 

Now, there is a new scam in town that anyone who uses Facebook and Facebook Messenger needs to be on the lookout for. 

The tricky thing about this one is, it comes in the form of a Facebook message from a friend. By knowing what to look out for, you can protect yourself from potentially downloading a nasty malware, which can then not only infect your friends’ devices with the virus, but in some cases can track your activity, potentially storing your banking or credit card details for the scammers to access later. 

Bleeping Computer reported that the virus link comes in the form of a message from a friend, and usually contains your name, the word “video”, and a shocked emoji, along with what appears to be a link to a video. 

If the user clicks the link, they are then redirected to different pages based on their location, and the software they are using. 

Facebook Messenger scam is targeting its victims via a video link malware https://t.co/sRJxMR8lcp #infosec pic.twitter.com/hZGzaqIfu8

— Health IT Security (@HealthITsec) August 28, 2017

In some cases, the page appears to be a YouTube video which shows a picture taken from the user’s Facebook page. However, it then downloads the malicious extension to your device. 

Should you receive one of these messages from a friend, the most important thing for you to do is not click on the link. You should also contact the friend from whom the message appeared to come, as it is likely they are infected, and should update their account passwords. 

Have you come across this particular scam?