On Facebook, cybercriminals are constantly trying to think of new ways to scam unsuspecting people. That means experts and users alike need to be vigilant for new scams that emerge on the platform. And this week, consumer advocates in Indiana are warning residents about a growing Facebook scam called “malicious tagging.”

With this latest scam, hackers break into a user’s account and then begin tagging their friends with attention-grabbing posts like “look who died in an accident” or “observe how they are around another spouse.” When users click on the link, it takes them to a fake Facebook log-in page designed to steal their account credentials. From there, cybercriminals can do a ton of damage by leveraging your account info to access other platforms and sites.

“Facebook will allow you to log into other platforms through your account so it’s a uniform email password to log in,” said Jennifer Adamany, the communication director at Better Business Bureau Serving Central Indiana. “Scammers know that. So by getting into your Facebook, they can have better access to all these other accounts where you have personal information lying around that they can get to steal your identity, get access to your bank accounts.”

This may not be the most sophisticated scam, but the fact that hackers are running it means that it’s working. So if a Facebook friend tags you out of the blue in a strange post, it’s probably best to exercise caution and avoid clicking through it.

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