Be careful of supposed Facebook friends who ask for your phone number and a payment code. There are scammers behind this!
Supposed Facebook friends ask for the cell phone number and a payment code
Scammers create 1:1 copies of Facebook profiles, pretend to be a friend and ask for their cell phone number.
The victim then receives an SMS with a code to pay with various service providers.
It's about the following scam that fraudsters have been using for years:
The stitch in detail
For years, fraudsters have been trying to dupe Facebook users by copying profiles 1:1.
First, the criminals collect all “publicly available information” and use the data to create an identical profile on Facebook. Publicly available information means all information that can be found even if you are not friends with the person. For example, the profile or cover photo and all personal information that you have entered under “About” and made available to the public.
If your friends list is also set to “public,” the scammer will also use this information and send your contacts another friend request. If the friend accepts the request - because you “know” each other - you will promptly be asked for your mobile phone number. However, on Facebook Messenger you can also be asked without being friends with the profile user.
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If you give the fraudster the number, in most cases you will quickly receive an SMS with a numerical code. And now extreme caution is required! Because if you pass on these numbers, the cyber criminal's trap will snap shut!
The code is worth cash and is required to pay a third party. The criminal now enjoys the purchase while your cell phone bill is charged. If you just pass on your number, it won't lead to fraud, but with the code things get hairy.
I was ripped off – what can I do?
The best thing to do is to ask your friends directly and/or in person whether they have actually sent you a new friend request and need your cell phone number.
However, if you have lost money through such a code, you can file a report at a police station in your area. Many police stations have already been upgraded with special cybercrime departments.
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For example, the Cybercrime Competence Center Single Point of Contact . Officials are well aware of the Facebook scam with fake profiles. Some organized gangs have already been stopped - including in the area of Facebook profile copies.
To do this, the officials are of course dependent on reports and therefore the help of those affected. According to the LKA Saxony, the number of unreported cases of such fraud is still very high.
Related to the topic: Fraudulent Raiffeisen SMS in circulation
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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )



