The ‘Look Who Died’ Internet Scam Is Back—Here’s How It Puts Your Privacy at Risk
Scams used to be easier to spot, but nowadays scammers and hackers are coming up with ways to make their attempts look more authentic. So much so that even people who grew up with the internet aren’t immune to scammers anymore. And the “Look who died in an accident” scam is a good example of why.
Keep reading as we explain what the “Look who died” scam is and why it’s so easy to fall for. We’ll also explain what to do if you do click on the link and how to protect yourself and your Facebook and social media accounts in the future.
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What is the “Look who died in an accident” scam?
The "Look who died in an accident" or "Look who died" scam is one of the latest Facebook scams and WGN Chicago reported that it comes in the form of a Facebook direct message. Just like you might get scam or spam emails with links meant to phish private information from you, this scam does the same.
We’ll explain in more detail what this scam looks like in a minute. But let's get into why this scam is so tricky.
Essentially, it involves a fake Facebook message (or sometimes a post that tags people the user knows) that includes a link you’re meant to click on. Instead of a news article with vital information about someone who died (spoiler: no one did), a malware virus gets downloaded onto your computer.
Through this malware virus, the scammers can access your Facebook account and send more of these “Look who died” Facebook messages to your own friends (with the hackers pretending to be you). This can lock you out of your account and by having access to your Facebook, they now have access to other private information about you as well, including photos. These can help them scam more people in the future.
How does the “Look who died” Facebook scam work?
Basically, someone will private message you on Facebook, and it’ll be from one of your Facebook friends. The message will say, “Look who died,” along with a link. The scam really gets you because they make it look like it came from someone you know and that the person who "died" is also someone you know or a celebrity you like.
You'd expect the link to send you to a site with information on who died (like the message promised). But, of course, that's not the case because it’s a scam. And again, the hacked account can also send the same message as a post, and tag more unsuspecting people to click the virus-filled link.
So while the link does send you to a (false) news article, it also downloads a virus onto your computer, giving them access to your account.
Related: 15 Facebook Marketing Scams to Avoid
Does the “Look who died” scam happen on TikTok or elsewhere?
Unfortunately, this “Look who died” scam isn’t just confined to Facebook. As Distractify reported, the hacking DM can come from anywhere. This includes TikTok messages too.
How to protect your Facebook account if you click on the “Look who died” link
If you ever suspect that someone has accessed your Facebook account other than yourself, and you’re still logged in, change your password—ASAP. Then, go to your security settings and click the option to log out of all current sessions other than your own.
Once your password is changed and you check that no one else is logged into your account, you should be fine (maybe set up two-step authentication while you're at it too). And if your old Facebook password is used on other accounts (your email, X, Instagram which is connected to Facebook, etc.) make sure to change those passwords too.
Report the incident to Facebook if you’re able to as well, and if you can get ahold of your friend whom the scammers posed as originally, it would be a good idea to do that too so they can try to get back into their account.
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How to protect yourself against Facebook scams and hackers in the future
As stated before, when it comes to scams on the internet, it’s hard to discern what’s real and what’s a scam nowadays. In the past, it would have been easy to spot a weird account sending you a message with a sketchy link.
But, as a general rule of thumb, don't click on links you receive through the internet—even if you receive an urgent message from a Facebook friend. And that goes for emails as well as direct messages. If someone you really knew died, you likely wouldn’t receive the information through a private message (and it likely wouldn’t be so short and to the point with nothing but a link).
Always have two-step authentication turned on for all of your online accounts as well, so that if hackers do somehow get your password, you’ll be alerted when they try to access your accounts.
But again, sometimes these hackers and scammers “win,” and you’re left scrambling, realizing that you let a hacker into your Facebook account. So, the earlier you are at catching this, changing your passwords and logging all other sessions/devices out of your account, the better.
Next up, make sure not to fall for this viral Facebook privacy hoax either.
