The viral ’look who died’ scam is all kinds of horrible

Cyber experts are warning against a worrying Facebook direct message scam that lets hackers gain access to your account.

The nasty “Look who died” phishing scam is spreading across the platform and begins with a simple direct message.

The message will appear as though it was sent from someone you know – typically, it is someone who has been affected by the scam themselves.

The message reads “Look who died” and also contains a link to what appears to be a news article about a person you know or a celebrity, claiming they have died in some kind of accident.

But, if the link is clicked and you log in with your Facebook details, it downloads malware onto your device which allows the scammers access to your Facebook account.

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Once this has been obtained, it’s likely the scammers will use your account and begin sending the “Look who died” direct message to your Facebook friends looking for more victims.

The scam is believed to be a widespread, large-scale phishing scam designed to result in as many victims as possible, unlike spear-phishing scams that are highly targeted.

What to do if you fall victim to the scam?

If you think you may have become a victim of the scam, first make sure you still have access to your Facebook account. Immediately change your password and make sure you are logged out of every other device apart from your own.

It’s also important to report the scam to the platform so they are aware of what is happening. You can do this by emailing phish@fb.com or through the report links that are on the website.

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