Watch out if you go on a page claiming to be from Facebook, as it is now the most ripped-off brand used by hackers to scam people.
The social network has been crowned the most impersonated big name, accounting for 14% of phishing pages alone.
WhatsApp – owned by Facebook parent Meta – also topped the list, compiled by cybersecurity firm Vade.
And Microsoft came in at a close number two behind Facebook.
But social media in general is not the worst offender.
Unsurprisingly, financial services overall came out as number one, as scammers try to trick victims into parting with their hard-earned cash.
As industries go, they made up 34% of dodgy pages, with trusted brands like PayPal and Chase misused.
Social media as a whole came second, accounting for almost a quarter of phishing pages.
Experts analyzed around 185,000 bogus sites from 2021, which are known for luring people into handing over their personal details with ever-convincing fake sites.
“2021 saw a string of high-profile ups and downs for Facebook, from its starring role in politically charged arguments about freedom of speech to Facebook’s rebranding to Meta to its ongoing fight against misinformation,” Vade said.
“Cybercriminals are opportunists, and they have a strong preference for attacking brands during periods when the brand is top of mind with end-users.”
Big names including Amazon, DHL, Netflix, LinkedIn and Apple also made the top 20 list.
Experts noticed some peculiar trends too, like the fact eight in ten phishing attacks happen on weekdays.
Monday and Thursday are apparently the top days for ones associated with Facebook.
While Thursday and Friday are the top days for Microsoft.
