Scammers use hacked Verified Facebook pages to pose as Meta and lure users into downloading malware

Scammers are now using recently hacked Verified Facebook pages to impersonate Meta and post ads with links to malware-packed tools.

Facebook pages scam | New Facebook scam | Fake Meta Facebook Pages

Scammers are also targeting users by offering them apps that lets them access chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Bard. (File photo)

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Meta has been long trying to stop scammers impersonating businesses on Facebook pages. But recently, a new type of scam has been uncovered where recently hacked pages ran ads approved by Meta laced with malware.

While these accounts are usually easy to spot since they were impersonating Facebook, many sounded official and had names like ‘Meta Ads’ or ‘Meta Ads Manager’. According to a report by TechCrunch, These ads were initially spotted by an industry analyst named Matt Navarra on Twitter and had links asking users to click on a link and install tools that probably are malware.

How did this ad get approved @Meta ?

😬

Verified account impersonating Meta tricking users into downloading shady tools pic.twitter.com/maPW6RWL3F

— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) May 4, 2023

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Some hackers also ran ads on verified pages changing the page name to ‘Google AI’, with the post including a link to Google Bard, the company’s AI chatbot. These hacked verified pages have thousands to ten of thousands of followers, with some even reaching millions.

Even though Meta has disabled all accounts shared by Navarro, it is still unclear how these hacked pages were able to change their names without getting approved by the company’s system. With increased interest in AI tools like ChatGPT, a recent report by Meta suggests scammers have been luring WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook users by sharing links to apps which offer them access to AI chatbot tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard.

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