500 million Facebook users' phone numbers leaked on Telegram

In 2020, hackers exploited a vulnerability in Facebook's server and were able to get access to millions of users' mobile number and Facebook IDs, but it was under-reported in the media.

Now, it has come back to haunt Facebook, as an independent cybersecurity expert who goes by the moniker Alon Gal on Twitter has reported that the contact numbers of 530 million users are on sale. A hacker has created a bot to sell the information for $20 per number ( approx. Rs 1,458) on the Telegram application.

Gal says users across more than 100 countries including the US (32 million+) and India ( 6 million+) are at risk of getting preyed on by hackers.

So far, Telegram and Facebook have not responded to the report. Also, the former has not attempted to block the bot from selling personal information on its messenger app.

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Owing to this breach, users are advised to be cautious on receiving calls from unknown persons. Bad actors use phishing techniques aimed to hoodwink people and retrieve financial details. No bank or income tax officials call an individual person to reveal the account number or any personal details via phone.

Must read | What is phishing? Here's how to prevent online fraud

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