What Is the ‘Look Who Just Died’ Scam? Here’s the Right Way to Handle It
Reading Time: 5 minutesHave you received a message saying something like ‘Look who just died? I know you know him. So, sorry!’? It’s probably a scam…
Have you received a condolence message from a friend or a stranger that says, ‘Look who just died? I know you know him. So, sorry!’? The sender may also include a strange-looking URL in the message and claim that it will take you to a news website. Don’t click on this link—it’s a phishing scam that scammers use to hack into targets’ accounts.
How does this scam work? How should you respond to this text message? And if you accidentally click on this link, how should you proceed?
‘Look Who Just Died’ Text Message Scam Overview
The ‘Look who just died’ or similar messages are phishing scams where cybercriminals play with the emotions of their targets by falsely reporting the death of someone they supposedly know. The scam is often targeted at Facebook users but can also affect those using other social media platforms.
Hackers add a short condolence message and a phishing URL they present as their news source. By doing this, scammers convince their intended target to click on the link to learn more, and in the process, they hack the victims’ accounts.
How Does the ‘Look Who Just Died’ Phishing Scam Work?
When you click on the phishing link, you are mysteriously logged out of your account, taken back to your account’s login screen, and instructed to log in again. On this screen, scammers can monitor your activity. If you enter your login details here, scammers will see this sensitive information. In this way, you unknowingly divulge these critical details to scammers.
The moment hackers gain access to this information, they can access your account and carry out whatever plans they had for it. They can misuse your identity in several ways to fulfill their malicious intentions:
- Scammers can ask your friends for financial assistance or a loan. When doing so, they would create an impression that it is you who is asking for help.
- They can engage in any illegal activity, which you could be held responsible for.
- Fraudsters can use your account’s ads manager to launch campaigns if you have funds there.
- Scammers can change the admin roles of notable pages, groups, or communities you manage and use them for malicious purposes.
- Even worse, they can send the same message to your friends to expand their scam chain.
And of course, if you use those same login details for another service, they might be able to hack into similar accounts. That’s why we advise you don’t use the same usernames and passwords for multiple platforms.
The list goes on and on…
What to Do When You Receive a ‘Look Who Just Died’ Text Message
If you receive a ‘Look who just died’ scam message, don’t panic—it is most likely sent by a scammer, and nobody you know has died. Don’t click on the link in the message, even if it appears to come from a friend. The reason is that cybercriminals might have hacked your friend’s account, and they could be using it to trap you.
To confirm the news you received, use a different medium to contact your friend from whom you received this message. If the news turns out to be false and your friend confirms that he did not send you that message, let them know that their account has been hacked, so they can take appropriate action to recover it.
In addition, warn other people on their friend list not to trust messages they receive from the hacked account. If your friend is a part of a group or community, make this announcement there as well; if they run a popular page, monitor new posts and warn fans not to take these posts too seriously.
In the meantime, you should block your friend’s account until they successfully recovers it. Taking this step will prevent scammers from attempting to contact you again. You should also help your friend recover the account to the best of your ability and don’t leave them stranded.
Have you already fallen victim to this scam by clicking on the link? How should you proceed?
Got Scammed by the Fake Condolence Text Scam? Here’s What to Do Next
If you suspect you have fallen victim to this scam, you should change your account password immediately. In addition, you should sign out of your account from all devices where it is currently logged in. That way, scammers will not be able to gain access to your account again.
Following that, you should ensure scammers have not attempted the same phishing scam on your friends. So, check out the recent chats you’ve had with your friends. If you see a text you don’t remember sending, ensure the recipient knows you didn’t send it.
Scammers can also delete the message from your account once it has been sent. If you have the time, you can recover those deleted messages on Facebook and a few other social media platforms. Otherwise, send a short text informing everyone on your friend list about what happened to you. Everyone will then be aware, and the scammers’ trap will fail.
Check if scammers have posted anything on your timeline, in a group you are an admin of, on a page that you own, or anywhere else on the platform using your account. Likewise, look at your account’s recent activity to ensure that they haven’t made phishing attempts from your profile by commenting on other people’s posts.
If you come across any such posts or comments on or through your profile, you should delete them. Following that, you should perform the following checks:
- If you had balance in your ad manager, check if scammers have used that to run campaigns. If they have, close them.
- If your credit or debit card is linked to the account, ensure that no suspicious purchases have been made.
- If you are an admin of a page, group, or community, ensure the admin roles haven’t been changed. If a new account has been added with moderator or admin rights, remove it immediately.
- You should review your privacy settings to ensure that nothing has changed. If you find any changes, undo them.
Besides that, keep an eye on your account activity and monitor logged-in devices regularly. If an unknown device attempts to access your account again, change your account password a second time. In addition, check that your smartphone or browser hasn’t been hijacked—scammers could use that to spy on you.
Some phishing links are designed only to download malicious software, not hack your account. If you suspect a random program had been installed when you clicked on the link, run a virus scan to ensure your device is not infected.
Protect Yourself From Phishing Scams
Despite social media companies’ efforts to ensure their users’ safety, hackers still manage to hijack accounts. Now that you know how phishing scams work, you should be able to handle scams like the ‘Look who just died’ scheme effectively. Keeping your account and privacy safe is essential, but so is spreading the word to save others.
Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/look-who-just-died-scam/
Ref: makeuseof
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