Have you seen something like "your account/page is scheduled for permanent deletion?" Be aware it's a scam. Let's uncover everything about the Facebook account deletion scam. Continue reading →
Facebook is one of the biggest social media platforms, with roughly 3 billion monthly active users. This massive active user base also attracts scammers to trick users with scams and access their personal information or gain financial benefits.
Phishing mainly occurs through emails and messages. The Facebook Account Deletion message is a common form of Phishing attack. This particular message is intended to scare you and get you to use reveal Facebook credentials by having you log in to a non-Facebook account.
One such popular scam technique they use is sending users messages that their account/page is about to get permanently deleted. So, let’s dive deep into this Facebook account deletion scam and cover everything to deal with these scams efficiently.
The Facebook account deletion scam commonly starts by sending you a message via Messenger, email, text message, or a direct post on your Facebook wall. The message intends to pressure you by mentioning that you are violating Facebook terms and conditions or community standards.
The message can mention community standards violations, inappropriate posted content, too many friend requests, suspicious detected activity, or other similar reasons. Based on the reason, the message pressures you to take specific actions to avoid suspension/deletion of the account.
These actions are often related to clicking a link, calling a number, etc. In the face of online scams like Facebook account deletion threats, staying vigilant is key. Using an email verifier can help sift through potentially harmful messages, safeguarding your personal information from falling into the wrong hands.
Below are some of the common scam messages that scammers send to Facebook users:
This way, scammers deliver a legitimate-looking message that is meant to scare users and let them quickly follow the instructions.
Account Deactivation Threat. Source: MalwareTips.com
Once you get into the trap and click the link, you will be taken to a legitimate-looking fraudulent page that almost mimics the interface of the original website.
Malicious Facebook-Similar Page. Source: Trend Micro
From there, scammers will either make you enter your login credentials or install malware in your system. Besides web links, scammers may also give a phone number to contact, which is also meant to trap you into sharing credentials or other sensitive information.
Once successful, scammers will hijack your account for malicious purposes, try to scam your friends, use your sensitive financial information to steal money, or install malware in your system.
Although all Facebook users are vulnerable to the scam, some groups of users are more likely to become the victim. These include but are not limited to:
Commonly, scammers send the message to a large group of users without any specific filters. So, anyone who gets into the fear of losing chats, images, videos, and posts is trapped in such scams.
You never know when you will see a scam attempt. However, there are a few common signs that can help you detect if it’s a scam message/post:
In short, you should activate your senses when you see any message/post that is related to account deletion, deactivation, or suspension. Even if the scammer sends a different message, you can still detect if it’s a scam if the link it takes you has a strange URL and asks for sensitive personal details.
Malicious Link. Source: Trend Micro
If you unfortunately fell for this scam, then don’t panic. You can take a few quick measures to block scammers from harming you. So, below are some essential steps you should follow right away:
Overall, if you take the mitigation steps discussed above quickly, you can reduce the impacts and even send scammers out before they can do any damage.
The Facebook account deletion scam is avoidable if you follow a few best practices, as follows:
All the above practices and similar others can help you reduce the chances of a Facebook scam.
The Facebook account deletion scam has been in full swing for many years now. So, we are on our own to detect such scam activities and avoid sharing our sensitive information. Therefore, this guide will wrap up by recommending you act smart whenever you receive anything related to your Facebook account. Facebook never contacts users this way, so don’t get lured into the trap.
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