Netsafe New Zealand says a new Facebook scam targeting Kiwis is using a personal angle which many people will find hard to resist clicking on.
The latest phishing attempt sees a fake YouTube link sent to your messenger account from a friend who has already fallen prey to the scam and been hacked.
The fake link is accompanied by a personalised message using the recipients name which says different variations of "Is this really you?" then the person's name.
Once clicked on there are reports the link opens up to a new page asking for your Facebook login details so you can view the video, effectively handing over your account to the hacker to use your contact list and spread the scam to others.
Netsafe director of outreach Sean Lyons told 1 NEWS NOW the latest scam exploits people psychologically by using their name.
"This is clever but sad psychological trickery, everyone instantly becomes interested when someone uses your name," Mr Lyons said.
He says Netsafe have been aware of the scam for several months after reading about it happening overseas, but it only seems to have reached Kiwi shores about six weeks ago.
"We've had a number of calls from people in the last few weeks, not hundreds but definitely in the tens of people," Mr Lyons said.
It's unclear what country the scam originated from and it may be impossible to track according to Mr Lyons.
Netsafe cautions people to be more vigilant of any links sent to them on Messenger at this time and educate any younger or older friends you may have who might be more vulnerable to the phishing scam.
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