Facebook hacking could be prelude to fraud

August 1, 2016/Terry Cutler/Comments Off on Facebook hacking could be prelude to fraud
Facebook hacking could be prelude to fraud

Facebook hacking could be prelude to fraud

For many thirty-somethings in 2016, having a Tinder account isn’t particularly unusual.
The dating app for smartphones forms a profile by connecting to the users’ Facebook account. While Montrealer Sydney Krause does indeed have an account on the popular social network, she found herself surprised to find out she was active on the dating program as well.

“I got a call from my boyfriend and he asked me if I had a Tinder account and I said ‘No,’” she said. “He said ‘I didn’t think so, but you do.’”

Krause had found herself the victim of a bizarre form of identity theft, with a hacker breaking into her Facebook account to sign her up for Tinder not just once, but twice.
“I felt kind of creeped out, freaked out and, like, wondering why someone would want to do that and what’s in it for them,” she said. “It’s just frustrating that there’s no way to just cut it off just like that. Like, make a complaint and then it gets erased. That’s not how it works.”

Knause said she contacted Facebook multiple times and got no response, but when CTV contacted the social media company, they asked for her details in order to look into the situation. Knause has since deleted the Tinder account but fears being targeted a third time.

Experts say what Knause experienced isn’t uncommon and the motive can often be fraud.
“A lot of the time, these guys want to steal your photos and re-add all of your friends,” said cyber-security expert Terry Cutler. “This way, they can try and scam them and say, ‘Hey, you know I’m stuck in London, I’ve been mugged, can you send me $500?’”
Cutler advises Facebook users to have a difficult password to guess and have strict password settings on all devices.

CTV Montreal
Published Friday, July 22, 2016 10:52PM EDT
Last Updated Saturday, July 23, 2016 3:19PM EDT

Video tutorial in the CTV news Facebook hacking could be prelude to fraud clip

I see many people who could use a video like this. Their pictures just aren’t as private as they could be.

Hey everyone. At the end of 2015 I gave a talk to my new friends over at The Sacred Heart School in Montreal on the topic of Facebook stalking and cyber bullying. I showed them in detail how to lock down their profiles so that it wouldn’t be open for the world to see, and I’d like to share it with you too. Well…., let’s get to it.

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Terry Cutler

I’m Terry Cutler, the creator of Internet Safety University, an educational system helping to defend corporations and individuals against growing cyber threats. I’m a federal government-cleared cybersecurity expert (a Certified Ethical Hacker), and the founder of Cyology Labs, a first-line security defence firm headquartered in Montréal, Canada. In 2020, I wrote a bestselling book about the secrets of internet safety from the viewpoint of an ethical hacker. I’m a frequent contributor to National & Global media coverage about cyber-crime, spying, security failures, internet scams, and social network dangers families and individuals face daily.