Facebook users are facing a threat from a Trojan virus that could empty their bank accounts.
The much feared malware known as “Zeus” is reportedly infecting sports fan pages on Facebook, according to NBC News. Many of the Facebook links that have proven problematic have the extension ‘.tk’ – signifying a Pacific Islands territory called Tokelau that is a domain frequently used by criminals.
Once the Zeus virus is on your computer, it waits to capture your keystrokes and other sensitive financial info.
“When a user logs on to a banking website, Zeus moves into action, capturing the bank account’s username, password and routing information, and any other personal financial information it can locate,” NBC News reports.
So what can you do to protect yourself?
- Get free antivirus on your computer, phone, or tablet. It won’t be foolproof, but it will reduce the threat.
- If you notice theft of money from your bank account, go directly to your bank or credit union and fill out the necessary paperwork for your bank to investigate. Under the law, banks have 10 business days to give you your money back in the event of something like debit card fraud.
- Know that if it is your business account that’s hacked, the rules are completely different for businesses.
Finally, there are reports floating around out there that are as yet unsubstantiated, but I want to give you a warning. Some customers of Buy.com, which was recently purchased by a Japanese company, report having had problems with credit card fraud.
Know if you are a customer of the former Buy.com, you must watch the credit card you used closely. You have 60 days to report any fraudulent activity. If you used a debit card, you have only 2 days to report it!
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