VietNamNet Bridge - Phishing messages with Facebook’s names have been repeatedly sent to users through Facebook Messenger, but Facebook Vietnam has not issued a comment.

Vietnamese have complained about the high number of spam and phishing messages spread through Facebook Messenger. 

The messages are ad pieces about real estate projects, recruitment and insurance services. 

There are also phishing messages with inaccurate information that says users will get 100-500 percent capacity free if they buy scratch cards within certain days. 

Under current regulations, mobile network operators can offer 50 percent of additional capacity at maximum to users.

The other messages incorrectly said that the recipients would win prizes worth VND75 million and Piaggio 150s.

Buu Dien’s reporters found that the phishing messages boomed in late June and early July. 

In most cases, senders provided the links to the websites, so that recipients can access the websites, and report their private information, including phone card codes. 

Recipients might think that the information was required so that enterprises could deliver prizes, in cash or Piaggio 150 scooters to them.

If they followed the steps shown to them, they would request money in their accounts.

Buu Dien’s reporters contacted Facebook’s communication representative in Vietnam to ask about the social network’s responsibility for the problem. 

However, Facebook did not give any answers showing its responsibility for the sake of the community.

Nguyen Minh Duc, a renowned security expert from FPT, the largest information technology group, said this was a sophisticated and popular form of phishing through social networks.

Duc said users can set up their accounts to prevent spam, phishing and unwanted messages.

Users are advised to click “Settings”, then choose Privacy. In “Who can contact me?”, they should find “Whose messages do I want filtered into my inbox?” and choose “Edit”. Here they choose “Strict Filtering”. After setting up, only friends can send messages to users, while messages from strangers will go to “Other”.

“Strict Filtering”, however, has some problems. While helping users prevent spam messages, it will prevent messages from those who are not on friend lists.

It can only filter spam messages sent from strange accounts, while it cannot prevent spam messages from those on friend lists that have been hacked and exploited. 

Because of “Strict Filtering”, users may also miss some important messages from senders who have not contacted the users before.

In general, evildoers hack some accounts and then try to spread spam through the hacked accounts. 

Facebook users have been advised to be vigilant over phishing activities, or they will become tools for hackers to spread spam, which will bother their friends and affect their reputation.

Buu Dien