Dearborn County deputies warn of popular Facebook scam

DEARBORN COUNTY, Ind. (WXIX) - The Dearborn County Sheriff’s Office says scammers are gaining access to Facebook accounts in the area and selling fake items.

Deputies say scammers will hack into an account and change the password so the victim cannot get back into their page.

They will then pose as the victim and use their information to sell fake items, the sheriff’s office said.

For instance, if the user recently posted about a death of a loved one, the scammer will try to sell fake items that the loved one owned to help liquidate the items from the real estate, deputies said.

The sheriff’s office says the scammers will claim that the item will only be available for a limited time and that any person who wants to purchase an item must send a DM or direct message to the scammer.

In addition, deputies say the scammers will require electronic payments or “deposits” through applications like Venmo before the person gets the item.

The sheriff’s office says scammers will pressure you to act immediately, make it sound too good to be true, and require payment to be made electronically and not in person.

Deputies advise the public to protect their Facebook account by:

• Avoid using anything personally identifiable such as your name, number, birth date, or address
• Ensure your password it is at least six characters long and complex with a combination of letters, numbers, etc.
• Change your password every six months

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