MACON, Ga. — Facebook scams are nothing new, but Kelly Lawrence says the one she fell for is new, at least to the Better Business Bureau.
Now, she's trying to warn others before they're affected, too. So many people use Facebook Messenger every single day to communicate with family, friends and loved ones. Some even use it for work. Imaging if a scammer got a hold of your Facebook account, locked you out of your phone and started targeting others on your friends list. That's Kelly Lawrence's life.
"She got a new iPhone 12 or something like that, and she needed me to help her with the code," Lawrence remembered.
That's how it all started. A friend asked Lawrence to 'verify' her Facebook account on her new phone. 'She' sent Lawrence a link through email.
Within seconds, "My laptop flashed," Lawrence said.
Her phone wasn't far behind.
"My Facebook app and everything was like how you'd reload or update your app," she said.
Now, friends reach out to her, telling her they fell for the scam too, some in the same way as Lawrence. One of her friends is out over $1,000. Even teachers at her son's school have felt the effects.
"From the teachers, to our children, to schedules of the school and details, to people losing money, it's just not acceptable," Lawrence said.
The main issue: all her information is out there in someone else's hands.
"There's a lot of personal information that people have trusted me with that they have access to," Lawrence said.
She has some advice to make sure nobody else falls victim to the same scam. She says before you click that link, check in with that friend off of Facebook.
Lawrence reached out to the Better Business Bureau for some help. She says they're walking her through the process of recovering her account. Kelvin Collins heads Macon's bureau. He agrees with Lawrence's tip.
"If it looks suspicious, don't click on that. Go back to the person and see if they actually sent you something," he said.
For more tips, you can head to the Better Business Bureau website. They have more advice on all kinds of social media scams.