A Telegram bot is selling access to a database that includes phone numbers of Facebook users, Vice has reported.
One of the sources that reported on the bot has said it gives access to 500 million numbers. The database contains information on Facebook users from the US, Canada, the UK, Russia and 15 other countries.
Vice representatives have examined the bot and confirmed it contains the actual phone number of a Facebook user, which is linked to the account.
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In order to access the phone number of users, it is necessary to enter the Facebook account ID or vice versa, meaning you can access the account ID by entering the phone number. The information is redacted, and to unlock it you need to purchase credits. One credit costs $20. However, the scammers also offer the possibility of buying 10,000 credits for $5,000.
The bot has been operating since at least January 12, however, the data it provides access to is from 2019. Facebook has reported the account IDs contained in the bot are not valid anymore. The company has also claimed it has tested the bot with newer data and it has not given any results.