Weber County Sheriff’s Office warns of new Facebook scam

Graphic Courtesy: Weber County Sheriff's Office

WEBER COUNTY, Utah, Feb. 11, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Weber County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a new scam involving Facebook.

“There is a new scam going around where people’s Facebook accounts are getting hacked,” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “After the account is hacked the scammer will send messages to all the accounts’ friends saying they are eligible for some money through a federal grant.”

This particular scammer has been using real foundations as cover, the post said. They will give a phone number for the victim to reach out to over text and after the victim responds, the scammer confirms they are eligible and asks for personal information such as their full name, birthday, and the last four numbers of their social security number.

“This scam is dangerous because it looks like a close friend is messaging you,” the post said. “Please be careful to who you give your personal information. Verifying that the person you are talking to is really them can help you not fall victim to this Facebook scam. You can do this by asking verifying questions or simply calling to verify your friend sent it to you and it is factual.”

If you happen to give out personal information, reach out to your bank and credit card company as soon as possible to see what kind of protection they offer. You may also click here for more information on how to protect your identity.

Weber County Sheriff’s office is inviting anyone with questions to call its non-emergency line on 801-395-8221.

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