By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
Yukon residents are again being targeted by social media scammers.
Victims recently reported to the Yukon Police Department suspicious activity on Facebook Messenger.
After police detectives were alerted of the scam, YPD officials are advising users of this app to beware.
“Unknown suspects were hijacking Facebook accounts by sending messages through Facebook Messenger,” Yukon Deputy Police Chief John Brown said.
People have been receiving messages on social media – from what appears to be their friends – asking them to select a link to reset their password or accept a code on their behalf.
“If you select it, it would give (the scammers) access to your account,” Brown warned. “Don’t do it.”
These requests are coming from accounts that already have been “hijacked” from the victims’ Facebook friends, he added.
Facebook Messenger is a mobile app that enables chat, voice and video communications between the social media site’s web-based messaging and smartphones.
It’s difficult for investigators to track down suspects in these social media scams.
“It could be from overseas; it could be from anywhere,” Deputy Chief Brown said.
FRAUD PROTECTION TIPS
Yukon Police are sharing four simple tips from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help Yukon residents protect themselves from fraud and scams:
- Do not share numbers or passwords for accounts, credit cards or social security.
- Watch out for deals that are only “good today” and that pressure you to act quickly.
- If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Never pay up for a promised prize.
