Anyone who’s spent even a little bit of time on Facebook knows that users need to be vigilant. Phishing attacks, although relatively rare, do exist, and Facebook’s media-rich login based system is the perfect place for scammers to target potential victims.
Today, Facebook has unveiled on new way for users to report phishing attempts across the network.
Now, if you come across any shady attempt to acquire your username, password, or other personal information, Facebook wants you to file a report. You can do this by sending an email to the new address phish@fb.com.
“By providing Facebook with reports, we can investigate and request for browser blacklisting and site takedowns where appropriate. We will then work with our eCrime team to ensure we hold bad actors accountable. Additionally, in some cases, we’ll be able to identify victims, and secure their accounts,” says Facebook.
Facebook reminds users that they should be wary of any email that asks for login or financial info. One thing that users can do to protect themselves while investigating possible scams is to navigate to websites directly, instead of using the provided links within emails, chat messages, or posts.
“This new reporting channel will compliment internal systems we have in place to detect phishing sites attempting to steal Facebook user login information. The internal systems notify our team, so we can gather information on the attack, take the phishing sites offline, and notify users. Affected users will be prompted to change their password and provided education to better protect themselves in the future,” they say.
In April, Facebook launched the Anti-Visus Marketplace which allows users to download trial version of various popular anti-virus software. At the time, they also incorporated those company’s databases into their own URL blacklist. Last month, they unveiled the new Malware Checkpoint, which allows users to be more proactive in their own security.