North Reading Police: Ongoing Scam Involving Hacked Town Employee Facebook Account

The North Reading Police Department posted the following warning about an ongoing scam involving a compromised North Reading Town employee’s Facebook account:

On 08-08-16 we received a report that a former, North Reading Town employee’s Facebook account may have been compromised/hacked and that individuals who were listed as “friends” on his Facebook page were receiving Facebook messages, allegedly from his compromised account offering government assistance grants for up to $50,000.

After reviewing the incident, it was determined that this is a nationwide scam. See information below on scam details and how to proceed if you feel you have been contacted by similar scammers;
“The BBB reported several people in western Virginia have told them they’ve been approached on Facebook by users sharing links for “free” U.S. Government grants. Of course, in the end, the grants don’t exist and the messages are attempts to steal personal information and money.

They said the scam generally works like this: You get a new friend request along with a message, or a message from a current friend with information on free grant money from the government. Often, the message will list other Facebook users who have successfully received money, to convince you they’re legitimate. The message may include a link to a law office or phony government website. The scammer might even include a real U.S. Government website to look legitimate. In the end, you’ll be asked to supply personal information and a payment for processing fees.

If this happens to you, the BBB said to un-friend those folks immediately because they’re after your money and personal information. If the message came from a person you know in real life, then their account was probably hacked. Report the abuse to Facebook and contact them offline immediately.”