Social media users in Motul have issued statements claiming to be victims of hackers who gain access to social media accounts, impersonate the account owners, and request money from family and friends, citing medical or other emergencies.
In recent days, several social media users reported that these individuals gained access to their accounts through their email addresses, with Facebook being the most common platform where they typically modify account information to prevent the original owners from making any changes if they attempt to recover the account.
A user in the city, E.C.P., stated that she received a notification via email, which she had activated on her mobile phone, informing her that a user located in Colombia had accessed her account. The cybercriminal used contacts from her chat to request money through transfers.
“Suddenly, I received a notification in my email telling me that someone from Colombia had accessed my account, and I immediately checked, and it was true,” she said.
The victim mentioned that within minutes, she started receiving messages that showed conversations with her recent chat contacts, where the hackers impersonated her by continuing the conversation and urgently requesting money.
E.C.P. said that the hacker asked for amounts ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 pesos from her acquaintances as if it were her: “I was alerted, and I checked my messages; they continued my conversations as if it were me and asked for thousands of pesos because they claimed to need it urgently, but it wasn’t me. Fortunately, none of my friends fell for it and deposited as requested.”
Recovering accounts that have been stolen by scammers is challenging, the interviewee said, because once they gain access and change the email address, notifications cease to arrive, and recovery attempts are minimal, typically requiring reporting through other users.
“I tried to recover it, but it didn’t work, so I told them to report my account to stop them from scamming people. My friends didn’t fall for it because it’s not how I write,” she added.
Users noted that Instagram is another social platform where such crimes often occur. Once hackers gain access, they send invitations for work opportunities, earning more money, or games that supposedly offer winnings, but they steal registration data upon entry.
The user suggested that one way to protect data is not to link work or school email addresses to social media accounts, as that’s when they obtain personal information to exploit. She recommended that people stay vigilant with their messages and avoid clicking on links sent by other accounts to avoid falling into the hackers’ trap.
TYT Newsroom
