Last updated on September 19, 2024

Names and places mentioned herein are hypothetical.

Milan was stationed with the Sri Lankan army in the Northern Province and had come home for a two-week vacation. This was his chance to relax, catch up with friends, and spend time with family. He also had time to scroll through his social media feeds, something he rarely did while at camp.

One day, he noticed a message from Dakshitha, a close friend and fellow army colleague.

Dakshitha: I need your help. I’m running for an ambassadorship spot in an online Facebook program. Can you please vote for me using this link xxxxxxxxxxx

Milan was surprised to see this, as it had only been a couple of days since he last met him. Feeling very confused, Milan called Dakshitha immediately, but he didn’t answer. He tried again, but to his disappointment, there was still no response. At that moment, Milan remembered that Dakshitha was in a training program and couldn’t take his call.

The day passed, and the next morning, Milan went on a trip with his old school friends to Galle but he was still confused with Dakshitha’s weird message. While they were chatting, Dakshitha shared this story with his friends and one of his friends suggested that Milan should double-check with Hithawathi, who is known for talking about online scams on their YouTube channel.

Milan agreed and called Hithawathi. He explained the situation and Hithawathi listened to Milan carefully.

Hithawathi: Milan, it’s a very common scam these days. Your friend’s account must have been hacked and the scammer is now sending this type of a message with the malicious link to his friend’s list to hack more accounts. After hacking the scammers blackmail the real account holders demanding money or other actions. So, do not click on any links claiming to be for voting as that will help scammers continue their hacking chain. Please let your friends also know about this situation. You can get to know about similar types of scams through our website and social media platforms.
Milan thanked Hithawathi for the helpful information. He also decided to follow Hithawathi YouTube channel to stay updated about scams.

Precaution tips:

  • Scammers use fake or hacked accounts to hack (take control of) your accounts, steal your personal / financial information and engage in other fraudulent activities.
  • If you receive a scam message, don’t respond or click any links. It’s best to avoid engaging with it.
  • Report and block the account that sent the scam message.
  • Keep yourself informed about common scams.
  • If a friend sends you a suspicious message, their account might be hacked. Contact them directly to check if the message is real.