POLICE have warned that more than 30 Queensland residents have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a lottery scam targeting Facebook users.
Financial and Cyber Crime Group Detective Acting Superintendent Melissa Anderson said victims had been unexpectedly contacted on their Facebook account by a person claiming to be an employee of Facebook advising they had won $7.5 million in the Facebook Lottery.
“Victims are requested to pay legal, late or administrative fees to unlock or release the money,” she said.
“This could be hundreds or thousands of dollars and could be asked for in instalments.”
Police said one version of the scam saw a person sent a realistic-looking Facebook branded credit card.
The victim was told the card would be activated when they paid $7500, which was in addition to previous fees.
“This is just a rehash of a number of long running phishing based lottery scam, just reinvented with a social media angle,” Acting Superintendent Anderson said.
“There is no Facebook lottery and certainly no Facebook credit card.
Victims lose the $7500 and every other instalment or fee they have paid.
“This is just another example of criminals targeting vulnerable members of the community.”
A Mackay resident lost more than $100,000 in the scam and police are concerned there could be other victims.
“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,” Acting Superintendent Anderson said.
“Make sure you are in control of your personal details and be wary of anyone seeking your information online or over the phone.
You can’t win lotteries unless you buy a ticket. We urge the community to maintain control of their details and be mindful of what information you are giving out online. Is this too good to be true? I can say with almost 100 per cent confidence that it will be.”
For information from police, visit mypolice.qld.gov.au/blog/category/incontrol
For tips from Facebook, visit facebook.com/about/basics/stay-safe-and-secure
