It all happened in just a few weeks, even though it seemed completely harmless at first. The message arrived one Tuesday afternoon: an old acquaintance messaged me on Messenger. We hadn’t spoken in years, but we were on good terms. He asked, “Please, could you help me out? My daughter is in a photography contest; she just needs a like. Here’s the link. Thanks so much in advance!”

It didn't look suspicious. I clicked on it. The site looked like a simple voting interface where you had to log in with Facebook for your vote to count. The system asked for my email address and password again. I entered them. Nothing happened; the page froze.

The next morning, I couldn’t log into my Facebook account anymore. My email address had been deleted, and my password had been changed. Meanwhile, messages with the exact same text were being sent to others in my name. The scammers started doing to others what they had done to me.

Then a public post appeared under my name: “I did it! I made €38,000 in 5 days with crypto. If you want to get off the rat race too, message XY—he’ll help!” Several of my friends messaged me asking, “Did you send this?” while others reported my account.

The recovery process turned into a nightmare. Automatic checks, uploading documents, account lockouts, and weeks without any concrete answers. Finally, after three weeks, I managed to regain access—by then, many of my friends had already unfollowed me or lost trust in me.

Lesson: How can you protect yourself against this type of scam?

• Never click on a link just because it came from someone you know—ask them to confirm that they actually sent it.
• Don't enter your login credentials on unfamiliar websites, especially not via Facebook login.
• Use two-factor authentication—even if your password is stolen, you’re still protected.
• If your account has been hacked, post about it publicly—don’t let others become victims too.
• Report it on Facebook and document everything—screenshots, messages.

It only takes a single click to lose your online credibility. Your profile isn’t just your space—it’s everyone else’s too. Take care of it!