Stay Alert – "Look Who Died" Scam

If you're tagged in a Facebook post or get a direct message that says, "Look who died, I think you know him," followed by several crying emojis, don't click on the link. It won't take you to a news report about a death. It's a trap.

Here's how the scam typically works: If the victim clicks on the link, it takes them to what appears to be a Facebook login page, where they'll be asked to enter their username and password before being able to view the supposed news article or video about the death. As soon as the victim enters this information, however, it's sent to the scammer, who takes over the victim's Facebook account, locks them out, and uses the account to send the same message to the friends list.

Scammers love Facebook accounts because of all the personal data they can grab — including email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, private messages, and friends lists (to provide more potential victims). Stolen data can be used to break into non-Facebook accounts or be sold on the dark web.

In some cases, clicking on the fake news link installs malware on the victim's computer. With this malware, they can potentially gain access to personal photos, passwords, or confidential documents.

If you accidentally fall for this scam, change your Facebook password immediately to avoid being locked out of the account, and check your security settings to log out of any devices or locations you don't recognize.