Police have issued a warning over an unusual facebook scam that has targeted social media users in the region.

North Yorkshire Police say that they've received reports in the last fortnight of a hacking scam operating on the popular social media platform.

Individuals have had their facebook accounts hacked and then the hackers have been buying advertising with any payment methods connected to the facebook account.

Targeted users may have had card details stored on facebook for making charity donations, purchasing apps, games and add-ons or because they manage advertising on a business page.

The hackers have then posted indecent images from the victim’s facebook profile in order to get the profile banned and removed from the platform – thus covering their tracks.

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A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "It’s unfortunately a scam which has been catching a few people out so here’s what you can do to protect yourself.

"Set up a strong password on your Facebook account.

"Use three random words and make sure the password is unique to your other online accounts.

"Turn on two step verification on your Facebook account.

"And if you think you’ve been hacked and your card details have been compromised, report it to your bank immediately.

"You should then call us on 101 and/or report the hacking to Action Fraud too.

"You can also report the hacking to Facebook."

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