Israelis warned of new scam trap on social media

Israelis have been warned about scammers creating fake pages of well-known people on social media to lure them into WhatsApp groups under the guise of free financial advice. The victim of the scheme was Channel 12 journalist Adva Dadon, on whose behalf unknown individuals created a fake Facebook account. The real Dadon urged people not to join the groups and not to share personal information.

Israelis have been warned about a new scam scheme on social media. Fraudsters create fake pages of well-known people to lure users into WhatsApp groups under the pretext of free financial advice. The victim of the scheme was journalist and Channel 12 host Adva Dadon. Unknown individuals created a Facebook page in her name and began sending invitations to join a supposedly free club on WhatsApp. Potential participants were promised professional advice on financial matters, retirement planning, insurance, and other topics. To start communicating, the person was simply asked to reply 'yes'. The real Adva Dadon stated that she has nothing to do with the page and the offers, and urged users not to join the proposed groups, not to share personal information, and not to open links. She also asked to report the fake account to Facebook administration. The scammers tried to make the page more convincing by stating in the description that it represents Adva Dadon's investigations unit. This scheme allows the victim to be moved from social media to a messenger for further direct communication. The danger arises in subsequent stages if the user is persuaded to follow an external link, provide bank details, or make a transfer.