Phishing scam leads to Mexico school district losing access to Facebook account

MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ)

A phishing scam has led the Mexico School District 59 to lose access to and control of its Facebook account.

Officials say the district’s main Facebook page and several other associated pages were affected by the scam.

According to a press release, the scammer gained access to and control of the district’s Facebook account by first hacking a staff member’s personal Facebook account that has administrative access to the district’s Facebook account.

The scammer then removed administrative privileges from all personnel of the district causing the district to be locked out of the account.

Immediately upon learning of the hack, the district contacted its cybersecurity team to ensure that the breach of its security was limited to only its Facebook account.

Officials say the district’s data, systems, and platforms remain secure and there was no unauthorized access to or release of any student or employee information.

The district made several reports to Facebook to regain access to and control its Facebook account but Facebook has yet to respond at the time of the release.