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Beware of Facebook scam, warns Delta police

“Nobody official requests payment in iTunes gift cards.”
10265724_web1_180123-NDR-M-Facebook-help-screenshot
Despite what scammers may tell you, the only way for you to get back into your Facebook account should you find yourself locked out is to visit facebook.com/help. Facebook.com photo

By Const. Dustin Classen, Delta Police Department

With over two billion monthly active users, Facebook remains a popular destination for sharing details of your life with family and friends. However, scammers are also using Facebook to take your money. Here’s a new trend we’ve seen in the last few months here in Delta and elsewhere:

The victim tries to log in to Facebook, only to find they’ve been locked out for reasons unknown. As many people would, the victim searches online for a customer support phone number, calling up Facebook to regain access to their account.

But here’s the rub: Facebook doesn’t have a customer support phone number. The victim has reached scammers, who now instruct the victim to purchase iTunes gift cards to regain access to their account.

Let’s be very clear here: nobody official requests payment in iTunes gift cards. Not the Canada Revenue Agency, not Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, not Facebook, not Microsoft. It just isn’t done. Whatever the circumstances, if anyone ever asks you to pay for something in iTunes gift cards, any other gift cards or pre-paid credit cards, it is very likely a scam.

For those who find themselves locked out of Facebook as stated above, there is no phone number to call. Your only recourse is to visit facebook.com/help. On that page, log-in and password help is located under the “Managing Your Account” header, while help for hacked and fake accounts is located under the “Privacy and Safety” header.

If you have been victimized by this fraud, or know anyone who has, report it to your local police department.

Const. Dustin Classen is assigned to the Delta Police Department’s economic and technical crime unit.



editor@northdeltareporter.com

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