Facebook 'lottery' scam targets Queenslander's
A MAN has lost $100,000 from an online scam but police believe there are more victims.
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DON'T be fooled by the realistic branded credit card - the ' Facebook lottery' is the latest scam targeted at Queenslander's who have been robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It's been revealed a Mackay man is the latest victim among 30 Queensland victims.
Queensland Police reported $100,000 was stolen from the Mackay man in the scam but are concerned there are more victims.
Queensland Police said victims are being unexpectedly contacted on their Facebook account by a person claiming to be an employee of Facebook advising they have won the $7.5million prize in the "Facebook Lottery".
Victims are requested to pay legal, late or administrative fees to "unlock" or release the money.
Police said these payments are asked to be paid in instalments and can add up to six figure sums.
The latest version of the scam involves the victim being sent a very realistic looking Facebook branded credit card. Victims are told the card will be made active once the victim pays a further $7500.
Once this is done, they are promised they will be sent their winnings.
QPS Financial and Cyber Crime Group Detective Acting Superintendent Melissa Anderson said the scam was a social media re-invention of a lottery scam.
"This is just a rehash of a number of long running phishing based lottery scam, just reinvented with a social media angle," she said.
"There is no Facebook lottery and certainly no Facebook credit card. This is just another example of criminals targeting vulnerable members of the community."
QPS advised people to stay safe online and be in control of their personal details.
"We continue to plead with the community to realise that if someone contacts you out of the blue to present you with winnings, a once in a lifetime opportunity or a chance to gain hundreds, thousands or millions of dollars, you must ignore it or seek independent advice to verify the claims," she said.
To get quick tips about how to your Facebook account secure and how to recognise and avoid scams and phishing, please visit https://www.facebook.com/about/basics/stay-safe-and-secure
Originally published as Facebook 'lottery' scam targets Queenslander's
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