Online Safety: Facebook hackers
PORTLAND, Ore. – You never see them coming because, in many cases, they're professional hackers.
However, everyday these Internet scammers are taking control of the Facebook pages of unsuspecting users. They are cyber con artists, hiding inside your account and pretending to be you in order to turn your Facebook screen into a cash machine.
Every posted photo, every friend added and each seemingly innocent message can give scammers the information they need to pose as the user.
One early morning, Tony Loya received an urgent message from one of his Facebook friends, Kathi Howell. It said: "I traveled to London, but unfortunately got mugged at gunpoint."
Loya was immediately concerned because he knew Howell was a frequent traveler and her messages said she needed money.
About an hour after her message had gone out, Howell began receiving calls from her other Facebook friends.
And once the hackers took control of her Facebook account, the scammers also got inside her e-mail account.
"I had the same passwords on both accounts, which was a stupid thing to do," admitted Howell.
Cristina Stoeckle had to close her bank and credit card accounts thanks to the dirty work by some online hackers.
"I panicked because I couldn't get into my e-mails and Facebook to close them," said Stoeckle. "They had control of all my security settings."
Internet security experts say 2010 could be a banner year for Facebook scams, mainly because of the networking site's surge in popularity. More than 350 million users are on Facebook – all sharing their pictures and information with friends who share them with friends who share them with other friends, and so on, leading to a chain of information that Internet hackers feast on.
A spokesman for Facebook said the company has taken steps to prevent these attacks. It's also able to disable compromised accounts before the scammers can get very far.
To be on the safe side, we recommend Facebook users:
- Frequently update their security settings,
- Choose a strong password with combinations of letters and numbers not in your Facebook screen name or profile,
- Avoid using the same password for e-mail and other personal accounts, and
- Immediately try to contact your friends by phone or other route if you receive an alarming Facebook message that appears to be from them asking for money.
"I honestly feel disgusted and creeped out," said Howell, whose friends were hit up after the scammer said she was mugged in London. After all, she learned the hard way that no one is impervious to the intrusions of online hackers.