Urgent Warning for Minnesotans: Holiday Scam Targeting Your Account

The holidays are right around the corner, which means your social media is about to get a lot busier. Expect messages from family and friends you haven’t heard from since last Christmas. That’s one of the best things about social media—you can keep in touch with loved ones, even if it’s just once a year.

But scammers love social media too. And with the holidays approaching, they’re out in full force, trying to steal your personal information or money. The Better Business Bureau has a warning about a scam designed to trick social media users, and they’ve shared some tips on how to protect yourself.

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Pop Crush reports that the scam is back for the holiday season, aiming to trick you into revealing your login information. Here’s what to look out for.

How the Scam Works:

You’ll get an email that looks like it’s from Facebook. The message says something like:

It might also warn you that your account will be permanently deleted in 24 hours unless you act quickly.

The email will include a link that looks like it’s taking you to Facebook’s official site. But if you hover over the link without clicking, you’ll see that it leads to a different website.

This scam has also targeted Facebook business pages, telling admins their accounts are in danger of being deactivated unless they confirm their info via a link.

If you click on any of these links, you'll be taken to a fake page that asks for your email, phone number, and other personal details. If you enter your information and hit "submit," the scammers will have everything they need to hijack your account.

Once hackers have your login details, they could access your Facebook profile or business page, steal sensitive information, or even lock you out of your own account.

To protect yourself, don’t panic if you get a suspicious email—scammers want you to act fast, so take a moment to think. Instead of clicking any links, go directly to Facebook by typing "facebook.com" into your browser or app to check for issues. Always hover over links to make sure they lead to the official Facebook site. And never enter your login details on a fake page—if you’ve already done so, change your password right away!

If you think you’ve fallen for this scam, change your password right away and if you use Facebook for business, make sure to enable two-factor authentication for extra protection.

If you spot a suspicious email or message, report it to BBB’s Scam Tracker.