Be careful with Facebook status updates, which usually have emotionally charged headlines like “He died in a car accident. I think you know him. I'm sorry" or "An entire family died in a car accident. I think you know him. I'm sorry".

“He died in a car accident”: the fraud is hidden behind the sensationalism

These contributions pursue a double strategy: they exploit the tragedy of real car accidents and at the same time play on people's natural curiosity and sensationalism. To this end, they are often accompanied by an image of a horrific accident and a video play button to encourage users to click. But caution is advised here!

These and similar status posts include the words “He died in a car accident. I think you know him. I'm sorry"

“He died in a car accident”: Warning about Facebook status posts about car accidents
“He died in a car accident”: Warning about Facebook status posts about car accidents
“He died in a car accident”: Warning about Facebook status posts about car accidents

The click into the trap

The harmless-looking video play button does not lead to a video, but to a page with a fake Facebook login mask. At first glance, you might think that you just have to log in to Facebook again to see the promised video. But this is a perfidious trap. There is no video. Instead, the data entered is forwarded directly to the fraudsters.

Screenshot of the website with a fake Facebook login mask

Screenshot of the website with a fake Facebook login mask

Victims become perpetrators - and don't even know it

Another tragic aspect of this scam is that the users who share these “He died in a car accident” statuses are often victims themselves. They have been lured into a trap and are unknowingly passing on the scam to their friends and contacts.

The Potential for Misuse: What Fraudsters Can Do with Your Data

Your Facebook data not only represents your identity, but also gives you access to a wide range of personal information that is of great value to fraudsters. Once they have access to your Facebook profile, they will have access to your profile as well as Facebook groups and pages if you are an administrator. So to your entire digital life.

1. Identity theft

Using your login information, scammers can take over your profile, post on your behalf, contact your contacts, and potentially lure you into similar traps. They may also misuse your personal information and attempt to use your identity for other illegal activities.

2. Access to pages and groups

If you are an administrator of a page or group, a scammer can take control and post malicious content, abuse your follower list, or even delete the page. The reputation and prestige of the page or group you have worked so hard for can be destroyed in seconds.

3. Phishing and malware

Additionally, scammers can use your account to distribute phishing links or malware. The apparent trust that a message from “you” enjoys among your contacts increases the likelihood that these links will be clicked and additional accounts will be compromised.

4. Financial fraud

In some cases, fraudsters may try to access your payment information through your Facebook account. This may be the case, for example, if you use Facebook Pay or similar services, or if you have exchanged payment information in confidential messages in the past.

Protect yourself!

Vigilance and security awareness is essential when using Facebook and other social media. Never share your login details and be suspicious of links or messages that ask you to enter login details, even if they seem legitimate at first glance. It's better to be safe than sorry for falling into a trap. If you suspect that you have fallen victim to such a scam, change your Facebook password immediately and inform your contacts.

Be alert!

We advise you to be vigilant. Don't click on news stories with sensational headlines and alleged accident videos. Your data is valuable and needs to be protected.

Remember: your security and privacy are worth protecting. Don't let sensationalism and curiosity lead you astray.

Fitting to the topic, as this is also about this nasty scam, but with different status posts:


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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 )