Scam Alert: Fake Facebook Customer Service

A Leesburg resident was the victim of an online scam involving access to the victim's Facebook account, according to Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kraig Troxell.

On May 10, the victim told police that they were attempting to reset a Facebook password. They located a Facebook customer service number that turned out to be fraudulent.

A person who answered the call claimed the victim’s account was locked and they needed to purchase an iTunes card and provide bank information.

The victim provided the information and purchased several cards before learning it was a scam.
How stupid can someone be, to pay to be on FACEBOOK? I am not stupid enough to even be on Facebook. There is a sucker born every 10 seconds, every 2 seconds in PWC.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your account secure:

• Protect your password. Don't use your Facebook password anywhere else online, and never share it with other people. Your password should be difficult to guess. Avoid including your name or common words. Learn more about creating a strong password.
• Never share your login information. Scammers may create fake websites that look like Facebook and ask you to login with your email address and password. Always check the website's URL before you enter your login information. When in doubt, type www.facebook.com into your browser to get to Facebook. Learn more about avoiding phishing.
• Log out of Facebook when you use a computer you share with other people. If you forget, you can log out remotely.
• Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know. Scammers may create fake accounts to friend people. Becoming friends with scammers might allow them to spam your Timeline, tag you in posts and send you malicious messages.
• Watch out for malicious software. Learn the signs of an infected computer or device and how to remove malicious software. Keep your web browser up to date and remove suspicious applications or browser add-ons.
• Never click suspicious links, even if they appear to come from a friend or a company you know. This includes links on Facebook (ex: on posts) or in emails. Keep in mind that Facebook will never ask you for your password in an email. If you see a suspicious link on Facebook, report it.
• Use our extra security features. For example, you can get alerts about unrecognized logins and choose friends to be your trusted contacts. If you're logged into Facebook on a computer, you can use Security Checkup to review your security settings.