Spam wave after Facebook data leak: How to stop unwanted text messages

Data of over 500 million Facebook users, which originated from a leak in 2019, has recently resurfaced on the Internet. Since the leaked data also includes numerous cell phone numbers, many users are currently receiving intrusive SMS spam. Here's what you can do about it.

Facebook can claim 1,000 times that the circulating data originates from an older leak and that the breach has long since been closed: The fact is that over 500 million data records of Facebook users have been offered by cybercriminals on the Internet in recent days. In addition to names, the data also includes cell phone numbers, locations, and in some cases birth dates and mail addresses. As it turns out, affected users from Germany are currently receiving more SMS spam messages.

You can easily check whether your data has also been tapped. You can use the web app from Have I Been Pwned to search for your email address and, more recently, your cell phone number. As it turns out, there are significantly more mobile numbers in the records. Enter your mobile phone number in the international format, which means you prefix "+49" for a German number, in exchange you omit the "0" at the beginning of your phone number. The number 01234567 then becomes "+491234567".

First wave SMS spam

Many users in Germany are currently noticing the Facebook leak via an increased volume of SMS spam. The method is not new, but the senders seem to be making use of Facebook's leaked cell phone numbers. Currently, these are often fake package notifications. Users are asked in the messages to tap on a link to see where an alleged package delivery is located. However, instead of the package status, users are redirected to malware pages.

The messages we have seen so far are not very well made. First of all, you see the number in plain text in the sender and not references to parcel service providers like DHL or DPD, moreover, the links are often suspicious at first glance because they point to unusual domains. But sometimes you can be fooled by a quick read and don't recognize spelling mistakes in domains. If you receive such a text message, you should not tap on the link it contains and certainly not type in payment data or passwords on websites that are opened afterwards.

Spam protection for Android

Android users have built-in spam protection in the Messages app and it is enabled. You can check this in the app's settings. Tap the "Spam protection" item there. There is then only an on-off switch at the "Activate spam protection" option. But this function alone does not perfectly protect you from unwanted messages.

If you have already received packet spam or similar via SMS, press and hold the message briefly and select "Block" as well as "Report spam". This will allow you to stop spam SMS from the number you are using. However, since attackers usually change sender numbers pretty quickly, you may have to go through this procedure more often.

For Android, there are also special apps that tackle the whole theme even more comfortably. Calls Blacklist, for example, can hook in as an SMS app and then block all SMS messages from senders not in your contacts, for example. This sounds good, but you should be careful because many companies also use SMS as a notification tool.

Block unwanted SMS on iPhone

For iPhone users, of course, "be attentive" also applies. You can also simply delete a few SMS spam messages or select the sender and then tap "Info". Select "Info" again and then "Block callers". Again, if the SMS spammers change the number, you will have to answer again.

Practical in this case is a function that you can find in the "Settings" under "Messages". Scroll down a bit to "Message filter" and turn on "Filter unknown senders". This will sort iOS iMessages into a separate list if they come from senders not found in your contacts. Classic SMS messages, however, are not taken into account.

What to do if you have already tapped the link?

It is impossible to say exactly what happens when you tap one of the spam links. The range of possibilities is extensive: It is possible, for example, that you end up in a subscription trap, that passwords are forked over, or that someone tries to foist a contaminated app on you that spies on you.

If you have really been tricked into signing up for a subscription, you should try to cancel the subscription if you can find out who the provider is. In addition, you should block the means of payment used, such as credit cards, and report the matter to the police.

Basically, in such a case, it is no longer guaranteed that your device is still safe. The most alarming signs are unwanted apps on your device and intrusive advertisements that are difficult to disconnect. What you should do in such a case? If available, restore a backup of the phone. If you do not have a backup at hand, a reset will help, but you will also lose content when you reset the device to factory settings.

The Federal Network Agency also has a way to report SMS spam.

Read more here:
https://blog.spaces.cloud/2021/04/data-from-533-million-facebook-users.html