Scammer takes over Australian woman's Facebook account after simple text message trick

Louise Manning's Facebook account was hacked after she shared her phone number with someone she thought was a friend. The scammer quickly took control of her account, changing her contact details and sending similar messages to her friends. Manning's account was eventually removed by Meta after her friends reported the hack. She expressed sadness over losing nearly 20 years of memories, including photos of her late sister. This type of scam, where fraudsters impersonate friends to gain access to accounts, continues to affect many Australians. Reports of identity-based scams have surged, with over 21,000 incidents reported this year.