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Facebook Scammers Pose As Support Staff On 3,200 Fake Profiles

A leading cybersecurity firm’s Dubai-based team uncovered a widespread scam targeting celebrities, businesses, sports teams, and individual accounts.

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2 years ago

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facebook scammers pose as support staff on 3,200 fake profiles
Group-IB

Global cybersecurity experts Group-IB today published new research into a worldwide phishing campaign carried out on Facebook by cybercriminals impersonating Meta (Facebook’s parent company) support staff.

Between February and March 2023, Group-IB researchers based in Dubai identified over 3,200 Facebook profiles falsely claiming to be written by Meta support staff in over 20 languages. Upon discovering the scammers’ accounts, Group-IB’s Computer Emergency Response Team shared information with Facebook, which it must be noted had already deleted some of the offending profiles.

facebook tech non support scams

The cybercriminals’ goal was to hack the Facebook accounts of public figures and celebrities, businesses, sports teams, and individual accounts. As part of the elaborate scam, cookie data, and session hijacking were employed, though the criminals mostly used traditional phishing techniques to trick people into voluntarily entering email and password information.

Group-IB researchers began tracking this widespread scam in February 2023. As well as 3,200 fake Facebook profiles containing scam posts, the cybersecurity experts also discovered 220 websites intended to trick users into parting with their data.

The Details Of The Scam

This Facebook scammers used social engineering techniques to trick users into thinking their accounts were marked for suspension due to copyright violations. If victims attempted to verify their profile to prevent it from being blocked, they would be taken to a phishing website, where they were presented with a page that contained official-looking Meta or Facebook branding.

Also Read: Filmmaker Uses AI To Visualize Thousands Of Leaked Passwords

“Cybercriminals can use compromised accounts to launch further phishing attacks. Individuals can suffer legal and reputational damage [and] threat actors could also gain access to the victim’s financial services [and] hold compromised accounts for ransom, demanding payment from the victim for retrieval of the account,” says Sharef Hlal, Head of Group-IB’s Digital Risk Protection Analytics Team.

Group-IB recommends social network users ensure that their passwords are “strong and unique, and that they enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to provide an extra layer of security”. In addition, if you’re ever directed away from official social media platform pages, it’s a good idea to closely check the URL to ensure it’s legitimate.

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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.

Published

5 days ago

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December 17, 2024

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uae prepares to launch two satellites thuraya-2 and mbz-sat

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.

The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.

Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.

Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.

Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.

Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth

The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.

The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.

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