The Latest in IT Security

Facebook is having a promo! I just went shopping and spent like $1000 for free! – Facebook Scam

20
Jul
2012

Scam Message:

Facebook is having a promo! I just went shopping and spent like $1000 for free! 

Scam Type: Bogus Offer, Facebook Note, Survey Scam

Trending: July 2012

Why it’s a Scam:

The scam is spreading via Facebook Notes. Chances are, a rogue application is posting the creating the notes and posting the scam messages to the victim’s Facebook wall. Clicking on the wall post link takes you to a Facebook note created by the infected account:

When you ‘Click Here,’ you are taken the typical survey scam / bogus free offer we have seen so many times before:

Here we see a very polished and nice landing page, but don’t let the good looks fool you. Reading the fine print reveals that you have complete several ‘reward offers,’ and these will cost you real money. Also keep in mind that your personal data will be shared with other marketers, sponsors, scammers – whatever you want to to call them! You are usually required to provide your name, address, phone numbers and date of birth. This will enable the shady marketers to not only spam your Facebook account, but also harass you via snail mail, phone calls and text messages.

**Note – Scams like this often use multiple domains, so you may see a variation in the landing pages and scam messages.

How to Deal with the Scam:

If you did make the mistake of sharing the scam link, then you are now spamming your friends with the very same message. Clean-up your newsfeed and profile to remove references to the scam. (click the “x” in the top right hand corner of the post).

Be on the lookout for more marketing offers arriving to your email inbox and physical address if you submitted that information to the scammers. Also be aware and alert for possible identity theft attempts.

If you submitted your cell phone for any of the surveys or offers, then keep an eye on your cell phone bill to make sure no premium charges appear.

If you or your Facebook friends are falling for tricks like this, it’s time to get yourself informed of the latest threats. Be sure to join the Facecrooks page on Facebook to be kept informed of the latest security issues.

Leave a reply


Categories

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2024
WHITE PAPERS

Mission-Critical Broadband – Why Governments Should Partner with Commercial Operators:
Many governments embrace mobile network operator (MNO) networks as ...

ARA at Scale: How to Choose a Solution That Grows With Your Needs:
Application release automation (ARA) tools enable best practices in...

The Multi-Model Database:
Part of the “new normal” where data and cloud applications are ...

Featured

Archives

Latest Comments