‘Your Account Will Be Deactivated’ Facebook Phishing Scam

The message is not an official Facebook warning and the claim that your account is set to be deactivated is untrue. Instead, the message is a phishing scam designed to steal your Facebook login details and other personal information. This is just one version in a long line of very similar phishing attacks.

According to this ‘warning’ message, which people have been receiving via Facebook’s internal messaging system, your account will be deactivated. Supposedly, someone has reported your account and it will be ‘automatically deactivated permanently’ if you do not click a link and confirm your details within three hours.

The message claims to be from the Facebook Ads Team. In an effort to make the message seem more legitimate, it includes a copyright notice and a barcode graphic

However, the message is not from the Facebook Ads team or any other official Facebook entity. Instead, it is a phishing scam designed to steal your Facebook login details and your email account password.

If you click the link in the scam message, you will be taken to a fraudulent website designed to look like it is part of Facebook. Once on the bogus website, you will be asked to enter your Facebook email address and password into a login box as a means of confirming your account. Once you have ‘logged in’ on the bogus site, you will be taken to a second page that asks you to finish confirming your account by supplying your email address and email account password.

Finally, you will be automatically redirected to the real Facebook home page. At this point, you may believe that you have successfully avoided the threatened account deactivation and carry on with your day.

Meanwhile, however, online criminals can collect the information you supplied and use it to take control of both your Facebook account and email account. They can then use your accounts to send out spam and scam messages. In fact, they may send your friends versions of the same scam we are discussing here.

This example is just one in an ongoing series of phishing scams that claim your Facebook account is set to be disabled or deactivated because it has been reported by other users. Be wary of any Facebook message or email that makes such a claim. Do not click any links or open any attachments that come with such messages. It is always safest to login to Facebook by entering the address into your browser’s address bar or via an official app. If there is a problem with your account that you need to deal with, you will be informed about the problem when you log in.