Beware the dangerous 'Your account has been reported' Facebook scam

By Rick Rouse
Rick's Daily Tech Tips.

Note from Carol.   Any links in Messenger should be suspect even when seemingly sent from Facebook OR from a trusted friend.    Also I would include in this messages that your page has been marked for deletion.   I get about three or four of those a week.  Reject message requests: In the Messenger app, go to Privacy & safety, then Message delivery, and reject requests from people you don't know

By now you surely know there are multiple scams making the rounds on social media at any given time.

That's just a sad fact of life in this Internet era.

There's a very dangerous scam that's been popping up on Facebook at times for years, and unfortunately it's making the rounds again right now.

This scam works something like this:
You receive a text message or email stating that your Facebook account has been "reported for abuse".

You're then told that you must provide a ton of personal information and "update your credit card information" in order to prove that your account is legit and you are who you claim to be.
If you receive this message, ignore it. It's a scam, and a very dangerous one at that.

If you fall for the scam and provide the requested info, the scammer will end up with your credit card information and possibly even enough of your personal info to steal your identity and open new credit accounts in your name. At the very least they will be able to sign into your Facebook account and assume control of it.

Luckily, this is a very easy scam to avoid...

All you have to do is make sure you never respond to any private messages or emails asking you to verify your personal information in the manner described.

Again, these types of messages and emails are ALWAYS fake. If you receive one of them you can easily verify that it's a fake simply by signing into your Facebook account at the official Facebook website (Facebook.com) or by signing in via the Facebook app. If there's truly an issue with your account you'll be notified at that time.

Important: DO NOT click any links in the text message or email. Only sign in at the official Facebook website or via the Facebook mobile app.

Note: Facebook does ask certain users to provide proof of identity on occasion, but they only display that request when the user attempts to log in to the system, never in a private message or email.

If Facebook ever does feel the need to require you to verify your identity, they will direct you to visit this page on the official Facebook website for instructions on how to submit your ID/documentation for review.

Bottom line: It's important to always remain vigilant about protecting yourself from Facebook scams, and the scam described above is one of the most dangerous scams being spread at the current time.