Obnews Tech Desk: Social media giant META has taken strict steps against a big online fraud network on Facebook. The company has informed that it has removed more than 23,000 fake accounts and pages which were trying to cheat in the name of fake investment schemes and gambling websites targeting users of India and Brazil.

Celebrities used to create nets from Deepfake Video

These scammers made fake videos of YouTubers, cricketers and business personalities famous to mislead people. These Deepfake videos showed that these people were promoting some special investment apps and gambling websites.

What was the method of cheating?

The beginning started with social media posts, where offers were shown ‘quick to become rich’. The users were then taken to messaging apps like Whatsapp or Telegram and sent to a fake website there, which was like Google Play Store. From here he was asked to download gambling or fake investment apps.

What did META say?

“These scammers implicate people to invest through false promises.
Many scammers were also active on Facebook Marketplace, where they used to collect advance payment by becoming fake sellers. In another trick, scammers used to send more money intentionally and then ask for refunds, later both used to cancel the real transaction and escape with both money.

New security initiatives of Meta

The company is now increasing vigilance on the platform. If an account does suspicious activity or asks for payment from the user before delivery, it will be shown a warning message. In addition, facial recognition technology will be used to prevent the ongoing fraud in the name of celebrities.

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Partnership with government agencies

META said it is raising digital security and awareness in collaboration with the agencies of the Government of India like Telecommunications Department (DOT), Consumer Affairs Department (DOCA) and the Indian Cyber ​​Crime Center (i4C). So far, police and officers in 7 states have been trained to deal with scams.