If you use Facebook Messenger, keep an eye out for posts with the text “Look what I’ve found”. The posts supposedly link to a “private video”.
Because the message comes from the account of one of your Facebook friends, you might initially believe that it is legitimate and click in the hope of viewing the video.
However, there is no video. The message is a phishing scam designed to trick you into divulging your Facebook account login details to online criminals.
If you click the link, you will be taken to a fraudulent website that has been built to emulate a genuine Facebook login page. Once on the fake page, you will be asked to enter your Facebook email address and password. If you proceed, you may then be redirected to the genuine Facebook website.
Meanwhile, the now compromised account can be used to send the same scam message to all of your friends. And, the scammers can hijack your Facebook account and use it for their own nefarious purposes. You may end up locked out of your account and be unable to regain access.
This version is just one in a long series of similar scam messages designed to steal Facebook account details. If it comes your way, don’t click on it. And let the person who sent it know that the message is a scam.
If you have already clicked and supplied your login credentials, you should immediately go to the real Facebook website or app and change your account password if you are still able to log in.
Note that this type of scam is ongoing. Some versions may have different wording and graphics. Some may claim that you can click to view photographs rather than videos.
A screenshot of the scam message:
