“Your photo is on this website”- New Phishing Scam

Telegram users in Bangladesh are reporting a surge in fraudulent messages claiming, “Your photo is on this website,” accompanied by a link that leads to account hacking. Clicking the link directs users to a phishing site that steals cookies—small files storing login and personal data—allowing hackers to hijack accounts through session hijacking.

Ahsan Hamid, a Telegram user, shared on social media, “I received this message twice, showing a friend’s name but a foreign number. It’s in Bangla, saying, ‘Your photo is on this website.’ Anyone might click without thinking.” Another user, Abu Sina Mohammad Tarek, warned, “Many Telegram accounts are being hacked this way through messages from familiar IDs.”

Web developer Abdur Razzak told The Daily Campus that hackers exploit stolen cookies to access personal information. “Avoid suspicious links or scripts. Use a browser without logged-in accounts to check such links,” he advised. He also recommended ensuring websites use HTTPS, not HTTP, and regularly clearing browser cookies and cache to minimize data exposure.