Rip-off: Fake Facebook friends lure you into the payment trap via cell phone.

“Facebook friend” lures you into a payment trap: At this point we can pass on a warning from the arbitration board of the telecom regulator RTR , because there are currently an increasing number of complaints about unexpectedly high and, above all, untraceable amounts of money on cell phone bills. There is a scam on Facebook that we already know about.

In the last few days, the RTR arbitration board has received several complaints about unexpectedly high and incomprehensible amounts on cell phone bills. Unknowingly, those affected were tricked into making expensive “purchases” that were paid for via their cell phones. In all cases, Facebook accounts were hacked to obtain contact details from friend lists and then pretend to be a “Facebook friend”.

“The supposed friend writes to you and asks for your cell phone number. If you pass it on, this friend will ask you to send them the code for a competition or something similar, which you will receive on your cell phone,” explains Dr. Klaus M. Steinmaurer explains the process. “If you do that, the trap will finally close and you will find a large amount of euros on your next cell phone bill,” continues Steinmaurer.

Do not share personal information prematurely.

You should be suspicious when passing on personal data, codes and the like via social media. “The hasty passing on of data from your own cell phone can be particularly offensive. For example, you can use your cell phone to pay or sign documents. If the access data is in the wrong hands, great damage can be caused,” warns Steinmaurer in conclusion.

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At this point we can add to RTR's warning!

How do the scammers operate?

  • A fraudster will create a new Facebook identity with the same name and the profile picture + cover photo you have previously used , which will then be a copy of your profile.
  • The internet fraudster then visits your original profile and searches through the victim's entire friends list (that's YOU!), who then receive another friend request, this time from the profile copy . A majority of users accept these requests because they “know” each other.
  • If your friends confirm this request, the new “old” friend will immediately send them a message asking for their own mobile phone number and the numerical codes, which will be received immediately after they are revealed. Extreme caution is required: these small and inconspicuous numerical codes are worth money!
  • By passing on the numerical codes, the fraudsters are able to redeem them at payment service providers and thereby charge the victim's (your friend's) cell phone bill. However, simply passing on your cell phone number does not result in a charge to your own cell phone bill.

never to pass on payment or confirmation codes sent via SMS to supposed friends - be it via messenger or social networks

I was ripped off. What can I do?

We recommend that you file a report with the relevant state criminal police office. In view of the increasing number of internet crimes, special units have been set up here. The so-called Cyber ​​Crime Competence Center (Austria) and the German Competence Center against Cybercrime (Germany) work in a highly professional and networked manner.

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The Facebook scam with fake profiles is well known to the site's employees. Some organized gangs have already been stopped - including in the area of ​​Facebook profile copies. Of course, these sites rely on advertisements and therefore the help of those affected. According to the LKA Saxony, the number of unreported cases of such fraud is still very, very high.

In line with this topic:

Only you should be able to see your friends list on Facebook!

Article image: Shutterstock / By dolphfyn


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