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Fake Mark Zuckerbergs Scam Facebook Users Out of Their Cash (nytimes.com)

Posted by msmash on from the nigerian-prince dept.

Hundreds of Facebook and Instagram accounts have been parading as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, tricking vulnerable individuals into sending large amounts of money in order to collect bogus lottery winnings, the New York Times reports [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled]. From a report: An examination by The New York Times found 205 accounts impersonating Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Sandberg on Facebook and its photo-sharing site Instagram, not including fan pages or satire accounts, which are permitted under the company's rules. At least 51 of the impostor accounts, including 43 on Instagram, were lottery scams like the one that fooled Mr. Bernhardt.

The fake Zuckerbergs and faux Sandbergs have proliferated on Facebook and Instagram, despite the presence of Facebook groups that track the scams and complaints about the trick dating to at least 2010. A day after The Times informed Facebook of its findings, the company removed all 96 impostor Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg accounts on its Facebook site. It had left up all but one of the 109 fakes on Instagram, but removed them after this article was published.

12 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. How do we know they're fake? by olsmeister · · Score: 2

    If I was Zuck or Sandberg, this is exactly how I would scam people to deflect the blame.

    1. Re:How do we know they're fake? by gnick · · Score: 2

      If you were Zuck or Sandberg, you wouldn't need to. The scam they've got going is much better and more-or-less legal.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    2. Re:How do we know they're fake? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wells Fargo didn't need to create millions of fake accounts, but they did.

    3. Re:How do we know they're fake? by PPH · · Score: 2

      Some outfit calling themselves the IRS is sending me letters, telling me that I owe thousands in back taxes.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  2. How do we know they're fake? by greenwow · · Score: 2

    A coworker got hit by what looked like a phishing scam to open an account with Wells Fargo with a high monthly fee, and it turned out to actually be from the company.

  3. Huh? by Obfuscant · · Score: 4, Informative
    If someone thinks that Mark Zuckerberg will be sending them a notice that they won a magical lottery that they hadn't bought an entry in to begin with, then there is nothing that can be done to solve the real problem. (Hint: the real problem is not that Facebook allows people to use the name Mark Zuckerberg.)

    A side-problem is the proliferation of professional services where organizations outsource their tasks like email, timesheets, etc, to, so it truly is becoming impossible to determine what is and is not a phishing attack. My university uses outsourced timesheet entry services, so you have to log in using your university credentials to do your monthly timesheet. They use an outsourced mailing list to send donation requests from the University Foundation. The e-purchasing website is off-site. Even if you personally never buy anything through the e-purchasing site, you get email regarding those purchases that way.

    The only way to know a phish these days is because of the poor grammar and spelling. If the scammers ever hire native English speakers to write their phishes, we're all toast.

    1. Re:Huh? by pr0fessor · · Score: 4, Funny

      My mother got a message from someone claiming to be an employee of facebook saying she had won $10,000 and wanted her bank account information so they could direct deposit the winnings.

      She of course didn't respond knowing it was a scam then a couple days later got a message from someone claiming to be with FBI and was trying to catch the scamer. The supposed FBI agent wanted her to give them her bank account information and do what the scamer asked so they could trace the scamer and arrest them.

      She also didn't fall for that though she did decide to play with the supposed FBI and asked them to provide a case number for the other FBI agent who had been assigned the case after she initially reported it. Then sent a message to the original scam account asking if they could send a check instead.

      They both stopped responding to her.

    2. Re:Huh? by Carewolf · · Score: 2

      If someone thinks that Mark Zuckerberg will be sending them a notice that they won a magical lottery that they hadn't bought an entry in to begin with, then there is nothing that can be done to solve the real problem. (Hint: the real problem is not that Facebook allows people to use the name Mark Zuckerberg.)

      A side-problem is the proliferation of professional services where organizations outsource their tasks like email, timesheets, etc, to, so it truly is becoming impossible to determine what is and is not a phishing attack. My university uses outsourced timesheet entry services, so you have to log in using your university credentials to do your monthly timesheet. They use an outsourced mailing list to send donation requests from the University Foundation. The e-purchasing website is off-site. Even if you personally never buy anything through the e-purchasing site, you get email regarding those purchases that way.

      The only way to know a phish these days is because of the poor grammar and spelling. If the scammers ever hire native English speakers to write their phishes, we're all toast.

      I keep getting emails from a domain called paypal-communications.com.. There is no way I am responding to any emails that doesnt come and have links back to the from the primary domain...

      And people use google, facebook or twitter accounts to log on to unrelated websites. When you should NEVER give your password to another site when you are not on that site...

      Web-security is truly fucked and the big guys are the ones fucking it up.

  4. tax for being stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was duped as well when I was 7 years old. There was a newspaper math puzzle which claimed a "free" prize to reader who send the correct solution. I solved the puzzle and my parents were so excited, they sent it to the scammer. We got a letter saying that I have won portable stereo system and need to send some money to cover for the tax. After we sent that, they asked more money for shipping. By that time, my dad had talked to few people and he was told that this is a scam so we didn't send the shipping money. This was in 70s. Scams like this are happening for ages and stupid people fall for it.

    1. Re:tax for being stupid by nitehawk214 · · Score: 2

      I don't blame a 7 year old for getting duped, but your parents are pretty stupid.

      I can remember asking my mom, "Why don't you reply to these Publishers Clearinghouse letters? They say you won a million dollars. Look, they have pictures of them giving giant checks to people. It has to be real!"

      It was when I learned that, yes, people would just lie to you to make money. She didn't have an answer as to why it was legal. I still have no idea why.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    2. Re:tax for being stupid by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

      I can remember asking my mom, "Why don't you reply to these Publishers Clearinghouse letters? They say you won a million dollars. Look, they have pictures of them giving giant checks to people. It has to be real!"

      It was when I learned that, yes, people would just lie to you to make money. She didn't have an answer as to why it was legal. I still have no idea why.

      Because they actually are a legitimate company? And they actually DO award someone a million bucks?

      Publishers Clearing House is a direct marketing company - basically they allowed you to subscribe to a few magazines for a single price, usually at a lower rate than subscribing individually. The sweepstakes part was really just a way to gauge interest - if you went through the effort, they assumed you didn't mind and continued to send you stuff.

      Now, that didn't mean they didn't do scummy things - like making you believe subscribing would increase your chances or that you were closer than you think to winning. And of course, they bought all the mailing lists they can.

      But the sweepstakes were real, and they'd arrive at your door and hand you the check, without demanding any money in return in "taxes" or "handling" (they took that off the money they gave you).

      Thus, as far as things went, they were actually legitimate

  5. call me a troll... by argStyopa · · Score: 2

    ...but really, I've had enough about trying to protect stupid people from their stupidity.

    "...tricking vulnerable individuals into sending large amounts of money in order to collect bogus lottery winnings..."

    If "fake Mark Zuckerberg" cons you out of your cash, tough shit.

    Look at it this way, for the bulk of human history, if you were that stupid you'd be dead and eaten by a tiger or a bear or fallen off a mountain. Now you just lost some money. Call it a win for you.

    --
    -Styopa