Facebook scam - Girl killed herself, after her dad posted this to her wall? No, a new spin on a Facebook scam

by Graham Cluley on September 24, 2010 | Comments (136)

Filed Under: Social networks, Spam

NOTE: This article was first posted in September 2010, but continues to receive a high amount of traffic as malicious scammers continue to use the story of a girl killing herself to spread their campaigns across Facebook. The scams use a variety of techniques and variations of the disguises to maximise their chances of tricking people into taking surveys or handing over personal information.

Be sure to join the Sophos group on Facebook to learn about the many different scams which are spreading, and share warnings with your online friends.

And now back to the original article from September 2010..

For a few days we've been monitoring a new spin on a Facebook scam, that claims a girl killed herself on Christmas Eve after her dad posted a message on her wall. Before we've documented both the related hoax warnings spread on Facebook, as well as scam pages that popped up trying to trick users into "liking" them, and the truth about the real woman's death that has been exploited by heartless cybercriminals.

The latest scam is spreading virally, tricking users into liking pages which claim to offer you access to the "horrific wall post" that allegedly made a girl kill herself on Christmas Eve.

Girl killed herself, after her dad posted This to her Wall

If you click on the link then you are taken to a Facebook page which says you have to like it in order to view the father's alleged message. In some cases, the page will use clickjacking techniques to trick you into sharing the page as a status update with your online friends. In others it will trick you into granting permission for a third-party application to post to your Facebook wall. But the end result is the same - you'll be directed to a webpage which asks you to complete a survey.

And that's what makes money for the scammers who create these pages.

So all that needs to be done is for Facebook to clean up the offending pages, educate their users about these types of scams, and police the community better in future to stop yet more scams popping up.

A quick search on Facebook found these "girl killed herself" pages popping up like mushrooms on the site.

Come on Facebook, can't you get a handle on this?

If you believe you may have been hit by this attack, view the recent activity on your news feed and delete entries related to the above links. Furthermore, you should view your profile, click on your Info tab and remove any of the pages from your "Likes and interests" section.

You should also check which third party applications you have allowed to access your profile, and revoke the rights of anything suspicious via Account/ Privacy Settings/ Applications and Websites. If you don't do this, you could be hit time and time again..

Here's a YouTube video where I show you how to clean-up your Facebook account:

(Enjoy this video? You can check out more on the SophosLabs YouTube channel and subscribe if you like)

If you want to learn more about security threats on the social network and elsewhere on the internet, join the Sophos Facebook page.

You could also do a lot worse than check out our best practices for better privacy and security on Facebook guide.

source:http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2010/09/24/girl-killed-dad-posted-wall-spin-facebook-scam/

"Check Who has Deleted You" Facebook Scam

Scam Signature Message: "Check who has deleted you" / "See who your friends really are!"

Scam Type: Like Jacking - Survey Scam - Rogue Application

Trending: October 2010

Why it's a Scam:

Once you click on the Wall Post link, you are taken to the following page:

This is the main page for the "Loyalfriend" Facebook application. When you agree to install the application, you must agree to give the application developer full access to your basic information and the right to email you, post to your wall, access your data at any time and the right to manage your pages. Once you agree to install the application, you are then taken to the typical scam screen asking you to prove that you are human. At this stage you must complete a survey of some kind to proceed. We noticed one of the surveys was actually an I.Q. quiz scam that can result in expensive text charges appearing on your phone bill.

How to Deal with the Scam:

If you did make the mistake of installing the application and passing the link onto your friends, you should clean-up your newsfeed and profile to remove references to the application. You also need to access your privacy settings and remove the application. If you made the mistake of submitting your cell phone number for any of the surveys, then you should contact your carrier immediately to keep any bogus charging from appearing.

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. Also check out:

Your Ultimate Guide to Facebook Scams and How to Deal with Them

How Facebook Scammers Are Exploiting The Death Of Steve Jobs

• 
  
• 
  
• 1
  inShare
• 
  
• 
  

Though, the whole world has been mourned over the death of legendary gadget ‘i’con – Steve Jobs, there are many scammers who are handling the situation only for their personal gains and that too deceitfully. Sickeningly, scammers over Facebook are trying to earn money by claiming that Apple is giving away 50 free iPads in memory of Steve Jobs.

Such scammers are trying to ride over the sentiments of Facebook users and inciting them to click on the link attached with “Free iPad in memory of Steve”.

Apparently, the link, shorten by bit.ly, also maintains the combination of emotional words “restin-peace-steve” to foul users. So what’s fun for scammers in this ? Once click, it will lead you to a brief survey and urge to fill in order to claim your iPad. Interestingly, the survey has been developed with the auto detection of your IP location to adjust the survey language accordingly and again the maximum exposure.

However, if you don’t click on any of the survey, it will automatically play a message to encourage you to take the survey but fails to authorize any possibility of free iPad. Rather, it gets reduce to an “exclusive reward” or probably any similar “surprise gift”.

Scammers are using the trick to generate more revenue for their clients by making you visit to website or e-comm portal supported by affiliate program. This way, scammers are generating more traffic and, probably, many of them but the product or opt for the promoted service on that page.

What so ever, they will gain benefit and earn money only at the cost of your time. And, at the end, you will not be wining any iPad – not even any iPod.

So, please beware from all such dirty tricks and stay away from miscreants who can drive you crazy by tempting you for such duplicitous promotions.

Read more: http://www.dazeinfo.com/2011/10/09/how-facebook-scammers-are-exploiting-the-death-of-steve-jobs/#ixzz1aGkfxCNk

'May God Bless This Kind Person' Spyware Hacker Warning Hoax

From: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/god-bless-spyware-hacker-warning.shtml

Outline
Message circulating on Facebook warns users to watch out for a post that says "MAY GOD BLESS THIS KIND PERSON BELOW WITH PEACE, LOVE, AND HAPPINESS" because it is a "spyware hacker" that can steal all information from affected Facebook accounts and use it for "bad purposes".

Example
IT,S BEEN CONFIRMED::::: NEW SPYWARE HACKER WARNING!!! IF YOU SEE ANYONE POST A "MAY GOD BLESS THIS KIND PERSON BELOW WITH PEACE, LOVE,AND HAPPINESS," WITH YOUR PROFILE PICTURE ATTACHED BELOW, AND SENT BY YOUR FRIEND VIE TEXT. PLEASE DO NOT CLICK LIKE OR SHARE..IT,S A SPYWARE, AND ALL YOUR INFO ON FB WILL BE COPIED AND REUSED FOR BAD PURPOSES. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO.



Detailed Analysis
According to this confused and breathless ALL CAPS warning, Facebook users need to watch out for yet another security threat, in this case a "new spyware hacker" that can copy all of the information from your Facebook account and reuse it for "bad purposes". The message warns users not to click "like" or "share" on any posts that contain the message "May God Bless This Kind Person Below With Peace, Love, And Happiness".

However, this garbled warning does not accurately describe any genuine security threat and reposting it is unlikely to be helpful. The message claims that the threat has been confirmed but does not say who or what did the confirming. The warning appears to be derived from concerns about a relatively harmless, albeit annoying Facebook application that allows you to share the words "May God always bless this kind person below with peace, love and happiness" along with a personalized message via your Facebook news feed. If you click "Share" on the application, it posts the following message to your Facebook page.



A copy of the post appears on the News Feeds of your Facebook friends. However, apparently, the app automatically displays the profile picture of the friend on whose Facebook page it appears and it is probably this behaviour that has raised security concerns and lead to the creation of this overblown and inaccurate warning. The app creator has not provided a description of what the app actually does and the way the app promotes itself could be considered to be spam. The app may also be an attempt to promote other applications and services offered by its creator. But, other than the rather disconcerting use of profile pictures, the app does not appear to be overtly malicious or cause any ongoing problems with the user's account or computer. It is certainly not valid to describe the app as a spyware hacker that can steal all of the information from your Facebook account.

That said, the advice not to like or share the app may well be worth heeding. The app is somewhat dubious in intent and probably best avoided. At the very least such bucket worthy saccharin sentiment is likely to irritate many fellow Facebookers and, for some at least, may cause debilitating waves of nausea :)

Do NOT Open 'I got you a surprise' Message on Facebook

Facebook is still one of the most attacked sites on the web. This time hackers decided to make fun of computer users and send fake and malicious messages from the profiles of your friends.

In case you have recently received a message with the following content: "Hello. I got you a surprise" plus a link to a blog on [something].blogspot.com, you should beware that this is scam and highly dangerous.

Several days ago, I got a message like this from a friend whose native language is Lithuanian, rather than English. The first thing that stroke my eye was that why he would write to me in a different language? Isn't that awkward? That's why I decided to go to the link on my test computer rather than use my regular one.

Luckily, I was right and didn't click on the link on my regular PC. After visiting the link, I was redirected to another website which had a totally different address and opened like a blank page with the text "Download photoalbum."

Image 2. Redirection to Malicious Website

Being aware that something is suspicious in here, I clicked on the link and an executable file photo.exe was put on my test PC. After clicking on the file, my antivirus software popped a message: "Malware Object Detected."

It looks like the website is spreading Trojan.Waledac through the fake messages. According to VirusTotal, this file is recognized as malicious by 64 % of antivirus software applications (take a look at the table below).

Antivirus	Alias Name
AhnLab-V3	Trojan/Win32.ADH
AntiVir	TR/Crypt.XDR.Gen
Antiy-AVL	Worm/Win32.Koobface
Avast	Win32:Rustock-AY
Avast5	Win32:Rustock-AY
AVG	Cryptic.BHN
BitDefender	MemScan:Trojan.Generic.5154826
Comodo	Heur.Suspicious
Emsisoft	Spammer!IK
eSafe	Win32.TRCrypt.Xdr
F-Secure	MemScan:Trojan.Generic.5154826
GData	MemScan:Trojan.Generic.5154826
Ikarus	Spammer
Jiangmin	TrojanDropper.FrauDrop.vm
Kaspersky	Trojan-Dropper.Win32.FrauDrop.bkq
McAfee	Generic.dx!vcv
McAfee-GW-Edition	Artemis!8F8D10FAAABE
Microsoft	Spammer:Win32/Fbphotofake.A
NOD32	a variant of Win32/Kryptik.IMG
Norman	W32/Obfuscated.A2!genr
nProtect	MemScan:Trojan.Generic.5154826
Panda	Trj/CI.A
PCTools	Trojan.ADH
Symantec	Trojan.ADH.2
VBA32	Trojan.Inject.axig
VIPRE	Trojan.Win32.Generic.pak!cobra
VirusBuster	Trojan.Fbphotofake.C

Table 1. Antivirus Vendors

The file comes with the MD5 signature 8f8d10faaabe124f2b68435a0be182fa and is of 277995 bytes size. Being a new malicious file, photo.exe might cause huge damage to the system.

Thus keep in mind that you should always use the latest version of the antivirus, as well as remember to be suspicious even about messages received from your friends.

source: http://www.pc1news.com/news/1620/do-not-open-i-got-you-a-surprise-message-on-facebook.html

'I got you a surprise' Facebook Message [MALWARE WARNING]

Scam Signature Message:
'I got you a surprise' or

• Hello!
  I got u a surprise www.gutosiafyhaduro.blogspot.com (DO NOT CLICK ON THIS LINK IF YOU DONT HAVE A GOOD UPDATED ANTI VIRUS PROGRAM)
  

This message will appear in your Facebook message inbox.

Scam Type: Malware - Virus-Trojan.Waledac

Trending: December 2010

Why it's a Scam:

If you click on the link contained in the Facebook message, you are taken to a totally different website with the following prompt:

"Download photoalbum."

If you click on the download link, you are then prompted to download a file called photo.exe. Never download a file with an ".exe" extension unless you are 100% sure of its source and content. "The ".exe" extension contains an executable program, and if malicious, can wreck havoc on your system.

Malware researchers discovered that the photo.exe file is a Trojan virus called Trojan.Waledac.

How to Deal with the Scam:

If you did make the mistake of downloading and installing the photo.exec file, then you should install and update your system with anit-virus software. You then need to perform a complete system scan of your machine.

source: http://facecrooks.com/Safety-Center/Scam-Watch/I-got-you-a-surprise-Facebook-Message.html

How to Delete a Facebook Page

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Laura Christianson

If you create an Official Facebook Page (also called a Business Page, Fan Page, or Page) and decide you want to delete it, here’s how:

1. Log in to your Facebook account.
2. Go to your Page. You can get there by selecting “Account” (upper righthand corner) and then clicking “Use Facebook as Page.” A list of all the Pages you administer will pop up. Click the link of the page you want to delete.
3. Once you’re at your page, click “Edit Page” (upper righthand corner).
4. Click “Manage Permissions” (from the lefthand sidebar).
5. Under “Delete Page,” click “Permanently delete this Page.”

A new menu will open with the following prompt:

Deleting a Page is permanent.

Once you delete a Page, you will not be able to get it back.

Are you sure you want to delete [name of your page]?

6. Click either “Delete” or “Cancel.”

source:http://www.bloggingbistro.com/how-to-delete-a-facebook-page/

Make a custom iframe tab in one step

Step 1: Add Static HTML to your page

Click the button to get your tab:

Add Static HTML to a Page

You now have an iframe tab. Cool!

To edit your tab, go to the "Welcome" tab on your page and you'll see the editor. You are free to use any HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc. in your tab. No restrictions.

About Static HTML

We are the largest provider of custom tabs on Facebook. Hundreds of thousands of pages rely on us. We deliver millions of pageviews a day.

Static HTML has always been, and will always be, completely whitelabel.

source: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=190322544333196

Customize facebook fan page by static fbml app

Sometimes you may need to customize your facebook fan page. Then

what will you do ?

Possible solutions:

1. To develop a customize application for this purpose
2. If there are any such application for this purpose then will use it (free)

When will you develop your customize application for facebook page?
If you need to use any scripting language like php, asp, jsp. You may need to call some facebook api then you should choose this solution. Click here to see how to develop customize facebook application for fan page

Is there any such app for this purpose if i don’t need to use scripting language like php, jsp?
Yeah, there is a nice app developed by Facebook called Static FBML

Please visit this app. In the figure you’ll see there is an option “Add to my page”. Just click here to add this app in your page. After clicking it you’ll see the pages’ name to those you are admin. Then visit your page and click Edit Page. Here you’ll see one instance of this app

Now click Edit. You’ll see the following figure:

Now write a title in the “Box Title” option and in the “FBML part“ write css/html and FBML to customize your page tab. After doing that, please click Save Changes.

Now visit your page. In the right side you’ll see a (+) icon like the following figure.

and in the search availabe tabs: write the title you put as Box Title.

To see sample of fbml code that you want to use in this app, visit my another post and copy/paste the code of that post in this app’s FBML part and check what happens.

Advantage:

1. no need to buy hosting
2. all data are stored in facebook database
3. simple to use
4. it’s free

Disadvantage:

1. you couldn’t use scripting language like php/jsp/asp
2. you couldn’t call facebook api

source: http://thinkdiff.net/facebook/customize-facebook-fan-page-by-static-fbml-app/

8 Legal Things to Know About FaceBook

READING LEGAL ANDREW’S LATEST POST on Facebook has just gotten me worried. He wrote (summarized):

“…have you bothered to read Facebook’s Terms of Service (”TOS”) or Privacy Policy? What legal relationship have you agreed to? Who has access to your data and personal details? I waded through their terms and policies. Here are some things I found.

1. The terms can change any time…. you’re deemed to accept those changes by continuing to use the site. Even if you didn’t know of the change.
2. Personal use only. LinkedIn is all about jobs and business. MySpace is full of profiles for companies and products. But Facebook is supposedly only for personal use.
3. A single, individual user account…. you can’t have two accounts on Facebook.
4. You’re giving up a HUGE license… did you know that posting content gives Facebook a license to do whatever they want with your content?
5. Applications are NOT guaranteed safe… “installer beware.” A malicious application developer could break through Facebook’s security protocols and expose your info… but Facebook wouldn’t have to take the blame.
6. Disputes are arbitrated under Delaware law. You’ve agreed to “final and binding arbitration” for resolving most disputes with Facebook.
7. You surrender all submissions. If you send it to them, it becomes their property.
8. Privacy is NOT guaranteed. Besides, Facebook’s own third-party contractors might misuse your information.

source: http://www.clappingtrees.com/archives/2007/08/8-legal-things-to-know-about-facebook/

7 reasons to use Facebook

I’M RELUCTANT TO ADMIT THIS, but it’s true: I love to hang out in Facebook nowadays. I’m normally inactive on social networking sites, and I’ve quitted social networks when many strangers tried to add me as friends. However, I enjoy using Facebook and I’m fascinated by it for at least seven reasons:

1. Business. When Facebook crossed the 100 million member mark last year, I began to explore and experiment with its features (wall, notes, links, photos, tagging, videos, events, groups, pages, etc.) and numerous third-party apps, with the intention of teaching them during my Web 2.0 workshops at NTU’s Center for Continuing Education.
   
   As Mari Simith of WhyFacebook.com put it, it’s a great place for promoting business: “Meet your peers. Find business contacts. Instant gate opener. Build relationships. Raise visibility. Develop your personal brand. Target your niche. Get rapid top Google placement. Place targeted ads. No cost marketing.” (See also: Tom Lindstrom’s Myspace Marketing Tips.)
2. Ease of Use. Its interface is clean and uncluttered. If you know how to use Windows, you would know how to use Facebook. All you need is time (or a quick overview session) to discover its numerous features and third-party apps.
3. Usefulness. Facebook interfaces seamlessly with hundreds (or thousands?) of useful third-party apps. These include popular Web 2.0 apps such as Twitter, Slideshare, Digg, Delicious, and Skype. My current favorite is the Philosophers + Philosophy app developed by Dr John Abbate from the University of Melbourne. It’s a marvellous way to add my favorite quotes and to discover the ideas of a new philosopher everyday.
4. Lost Contacts. I found long-lost friends/colleagues (and they found me) through the “People You May Know” tool.
5. New Contacts. I’ve been connecting online with very interesting people from all over the world. For example, my new online friend today is a Spanish priest in Russia!
   

   Fr Otets Burgos with the Bishop of Moscow and two children.

6. Visibility & Transparency. What I say and do online are visible to my contacts. Likewise, what they say and do online are visible to me. What this means is I can easily introduce ideas/sites/other things to them and vice versa. This means we can co-discover (learn) about one another as well as many many ideas, sites and other things!
7. Social Mission. I can easily create a Group, Page or Cause to get support for ideas that I strongly believe in, e.g. “Faith without reason is blind. Reason without faith is lame.” (See the Faith & Reason (Fides et Ratio) cause.) I can also contribute to causes that others believe in, e.g. Beth’s Birthday cause.

source:http://www.clappingtrees.com/archives/2009/01/7-reasons-to-use-facebook/

13 reasons your Facebook account will be disabled

ACCORDING TO THOR MULLER, there are 13 things that (supposedly) will get you kicked off Facebook (thanks, Jean ) :

1. You didn’t use your real name. Facebook will find you and spit you out.
2. You joined too many groups. (The maximum limit is 200 groups per user.)
3. You posted too many messages on a wall or in a group. E.g. Guy Kawasaki had his account disabled–in his case for “excessive evangelism.”
4. You posted in too many groups, too many user’s walls. (That’s what spammers do, silly.)
5. You friended too many people. (Not so long ago this was a prime cause of disabled accounts, but Facebook has instituted a maximum of 5000 friends that should protect you from yourself.)
6. Your school/organization affiliation is doubtful.
7. You’re poking too many people. (Beware the odd FB app that pokes on your behalf.)
8. You advertised your app on wall posts.
9. You used duplicate text in multiple messages.
10. You are a cow, dog, or library.
11. You are under 18 years old and not part of a High School group.
12. You wrote offensive content.
13. You scraped information off Facebook. E.g. Facebook bots disabled Robert Scoble’s account.

ACCORDING TO MARI SMITH, here are more possible reasons your account may be deactivated:

1. You send “too many” friend requests in one day/session.
2. You make “too many” wall posts in one day/session – especially with verbatim content and with links.
3. You copy and paste the same friend request message “too many” times.
4. You send too many identical emails to individual friends and/or friend lists*.
5. You message your Group members “too many” times.
6. You message your Event invitees “too many” times.

.
Recommended action steps:

1. Take your time to build up a strategic network of friends on Facebook. Focus on quality, not quantity.
2. Send no more than approximately 20 new friend requests at any one time. Also, be sure to mix up the friend request messages.
3. Use your own opt-in email system.
4. Build out your Facebook Page.
5. Include Facebook in your overall marketing strategy. Don’t put all your social networking “eggs” in one basket. Build up a following on Twitter, FriendFeed, Plaxo, LinkedIn, etc.
6. Remember there was life before Facebook
   
   source: http://www.clappingtrees.com/archives/2009/06/13-reasons-your-facebook-account-will-be-disabled/

7 Things to Turn Off in Facebook

DO YOU KNOW THAT the default friend feed settings on Facebook is “full on stalker mode”? Are you sick of receiving invitations, gifts, pokes, etc. from other people (especially complete strangers)? See Happy Slip’s Facebook Fever parody below:
Do you know that you can turn some (if not all) the notifications off? And that you can also change your privacy settings?

THERE ARE SEVEN THINGS that users like you and I can turn off (or on again) in Facebook:

1. Privacy > Profile: Control who can see your profile and personal information.
2. Privacy > Search: Control who can search for you, and how you can be contacted.
3. Privacy > News Feed and Wall: Control what stories about you get published to your profile and to your friends’ News Feeds.
4. Privacy > Block People: Block specific people (e.g. stalkers) from being able to find you ina Facebook search, see your profile, or interact with you through Facebook channels.
5. Privacy > General Settings for Applications: Control what information is available to applications you use on Facebook.
   
6. Wall Settings for an Application (e.g. Groups): Allow or disallow an app to publish stories automatically on your wall.
7. Profile Settings for an Application (e.g. Groups): Allow only certain people to view specific groups you join on your profile.
   

Which ones do you turn on/off? What do you think are the pros and cons of turning on/off these settings?

source: http://www.clappingtrees.com/archives/2009/01/7-things-to-turn-off-in-facebook/

Facebook Hoax Spreading Like Wildfire

Unfortunately, some people take advantage of hacking frenzies like the ones we’ve been facing, to create hoax threats and scares because they know that contextual cues will help the hoax be believable.

It doesn’t help that the media preys on fear of its viewers, because fear sells. People innately seek to be fearful of something because it has been beneficial to the survival of our ancestors, and thus, we carry the same trait.

A viral message has been circulating all over Facebook that reads:

NEW VIRUS ON FB using YOUR pictures. It says you’ve been tagged in a picture, wants you to click on a link to see it. Then hacks into YOUR computer & ALL YOUR ACCOUNTS including BANKING & other secure accounts. It DESTROYS YOUR COMPUTER. Once hacked into your comp; it sends e-mails to your friends telling them they have been TAGGED in pics & starts the process again. PLEASE RE-POST

This hoax was likely made by someone who knew it would “sell.” Now, there are legitimate malware such as “likejacking schemes” that show up as videos on your wall of your friends who have supposedly liked them. When the victim then goes to play the video, the script automatically posts on your wall that you liked said video while the victim is redirected to a survey. Your best bet is to download an add-on called “noscript” if you are using Firefox or open the window in Incognito mode on Google Chrome. Or heck, just be more suspicious of what you see on the Internet. Share this article with your friends and let them know the real deal behind this hoax. Hit us up on facebook.com/techmento and let us know if you’ve seen this hoax.

Google Plus Scam Spreading Via Fake Invites

Google Plus is still in the trial phase and participation is by invite only at the moment. The invites are rare, which has led to people begging on sites such as Twitter for someone to send them an invite. This has played straight into the criminals’ hands.

The fake invites to join Google Plus look very like the genuine invitations, clicking on the links in the email will take the victim to Canadian Family Pharmacy, not Google Plus.

The fake invites are spreading through e-mail, and they look very similar to the actual invites to the service, down to the e-mail address which seems to be coming from a Google Plus member.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security company Sophos said that,”The spammers are no doubt hoping that the email will be hard to resist, as many people are eager to see what is being billed as Google’s answer to Facebook.”

It’s not the first time Google launches a new product and the hackers take advantage of this situation. When Google Music was revealed, malevolent people came up with fake invites in order to lure unaware internet users to malicious websites.

Scams such as this one are very common with major product launches; most recently, we’ve seen a similar phishing scheme involving Google Music invites. Whenever you receive an “invite” to a service, especially from a third party, be extra careful before clicking any links and make sure that the invite is really coming from a legitimate source.

source:http://techmento.com/2011/07/04/google-plus-scam-spreading-via-fake-invites/

Beware, New Facebook ‘Casey Anthony’ Scam

Watch out Facebook users! It looks like we have another Facebook scam. This time it’s about Casey Anthony.

If you’ve recently come across a video entitled “Breaking News – Leaked video of Casey Anthony CONFESSING”, do not get carried away and click it-it’s a complete hoax.

This new Facebook scam makes it obvious why the social network is such a productive ground for scammers to mark.

Weeks back Casey Anthony was found, not guilty for murdering her 2 year old daughter.

Technology experts say the link takes you to a fake video streaming site similar to Youtube and thus tricks you into a survey, that pays scammers money for each additional survey that is completed.

After completing the survey, you are redirected to a TV report which Casey Anthony not being guilty of murdering her two-years-old-child.

Actually clicking on the link shares it on your news feed and thus it starts circulating among your friends and many more Facebook users.


It’s not malware that can directly harm your computer but it is kind of annoying and would irritate Facebook users.

So if you get hit by it, don’t panic. The simple recommended steps are: remove the entry from your news feed and make sure that your profile does not have any unwanted ‘likes’ under your ‘likes and interests’, and you are good to go.

source:http://techmento.com/2011/07/12/facebook-scam/

Facebook Scam: Photographer Committed Suicide After Shooting Video

If you use Facebook, you might already be aware of the new scam going around that attempts to get you to click through it. The ad reads something like “Photographer committed SUICIDE 3 days after shooting THIS video!” and is followed by a link.

Of course, you can guess where the link leads to- a message that says “This really must have been an awkward moment” followed by a Share link that is written in the Finnish language.

The victim is then asked to input his or her age, supposedly to determine if the person is old enough to see the video, but is then redirected to a survey where the scammer gets money for each survey that is completed.

Best thing to do when you see this on Facebook is to report it to Facebook security and then check your own wall to see if it automatically posted to your wall, this way you can delete it.

The whole process of creating a scam like this is called social engineering. The prime goal of social engineering is to create a scam or a link that intrigues people or makes them want to click. This is how malware is distributed, surveys are filled, etc. The process isn’t new, and it’s been around even ten years ago when you’d get a pop up saying “You’ve won 1 million dollars. Click here to claim your prize!

source:http://techmento.com/2011/06/27/facebook-scam-photographer-committed-suicide-shooting-video/

Protecting Your Facebook Account from Scams and Viruses.

by Jeremy Blanton on May 2, 2011

Have you ever received a popup message like the one to the right? Yeah, if you keep your chat box open I am sure you have. Yesterday I received 5 of them all within a 3 minute time period. I had turned away from my screen to watch some of a baseball game and when I came back my screen was filled with the spam messages.

So, here’s the real question: Can you really spy on who is viewing your Facebook profile? In very simple terms let me give you an answer. NO!

So what happens when I click on those links to see who is viewing my profile on Facebook?

Answer is pretty simple. Most of them make you go to a Facebook connect page of some sort. When you allow the application permission you basically open up your entire world inside Facebook to the program. They normally take that information and go on to phish all your friends and see how many they can get. There are a few instances where it will open up your inbox and send out phishing scams to your email contacts as well. Once these get access there is no telling what the predators might do with the information.

How to Prevent Facebook Phishing Scams

It’s actually a pretty simple thing that needs to be done to prevent these scams from infecting your accounts and possibly your computer. Simply do not add any applications on Facebook that seem shady. Also, I will let you in on a little secret. There are not real programs that allow you to see who’s viewing your profile. Also, when you see the ones that say “OMG! What were you doing in this picture!” don’t click on them. Simply delete the post from your wall and email the person it came from to notify them that they have been scammed. Another newer scam I’ve seen on Facebook are ones with photos of an older man saying this is what I’ll look like in 20 years, check your self. I knew this one was a scam when I got 7 of them posted to my wall in under 10 minutes. Four of them were from females.

The best rule of thumb is to just leave these things alone. Besides, does it really matter who views your profile? Facebook gives you filters and security settings to protect your info from those you don’t want seeing it.

How to fix your Facebook Profile if it has been infected.

If you have have clicked on one of these scams by mistake, do not fear. Normally you can fix them by doing a few simple things:

1. Change your password- A lot of these programs can only access your account by using your password. If you change it, they are finished.
2. Remove unwanted Facebook Applications- This one is a little more tricky, but my friend Mike Mueller gives shows you how to kill a bad Facebook App.

I hope this helps and remember, if the app is not from a trusted source, don’t allow it permission. If a link comes through that looks weird, don’t click it!

source:http://210consulting.com/2011/05/02/see-who-views-your-profile-on-facebook

Beware of viruses and scams on Facebook

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Tech

Facebook seems to fall often victim of malicious viruses that can infect your computer and scammers that can affect your wallets. So, read carefully and be suspicious of unusual messages that seem to have been sent apparently by your friends.

The latest virus apparenty making the rounds in Facebook is a message sent to your inbox saying “Youe n ass got filmefd as qell” and invite you to follow and lick links. Do not reply!

Over last weekend, a Koobface-like attack surfaced on Facebook, infecting users by tricking them into clicking to view a photograph.

“Unlike the majority of Facebook scams we report, this one actively infects your computer with malware instead of simply tricking you into taking surveys and passing on messages to other users,” said Chester Wisniewski, senior security advisor at Sophos. Facebook has since removed the malicious application.

Another outbreak of mass gullibility also affected Facebook users over the weekend, as scammers attempted to lure people into viewing a video alleging that the killer of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur was Suge Knight,the owner of Tupac Shakur’s record label, Death Row Records. To get to the news, however, readers needed to “complete a 30-second test below to prove you are human.”

Cluley said that “this is where the scammers make their money. Every time someone fills in an online survey, they make a little bit of commission. If they can find an attractive enough lure — like a video ‘proving’ who killed Tupac Shakur — they can potentially bring lots of people to the surveys.”

Indeed, at least 125,000 people had clicked on fake links relating to the bogus news, which was being circulated by 10 different rogue applications. Cluley said the attack is also being distributed via Twitter postswith direct links to the Facebook applications. Any users that authorized the rogue application would then see the attack posted to their Facebook wall, perpetuating the scam.

(Read Full Story in Information Week )

As every once in a while virus are making the rounds in Facebook, please, beware of unusual messages from your FB friends and never reply to snicky-tricky oddities and scammers.

Do not open messages written in a wrong spelling manner…

source: http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2011/01/13/beware-of-viruses-and-scams-on-facebook/

Facebook Marketing – Application Scams and Viruses

Facebook marketing is generally fun! We have a process by which we make sure that our clients get great exposure and connect with the most people and companies possible. That having been said, there are A LOT of application scams and viruses so tread carefully if you are using Facebook for business!

I admit, I am basically writing this to send to my clients so they know what to click and what not to on the Facebook. Some of you may agree or disagree about the validity of some of my suggestions, if you are unhappy, get your own blog, these are all applications that we have found to be detrimental to the business personas we are trying to achieve online!

DO NOT Play Games On Facebook

Farmville, Mafia Wars and other Facebook games may seem like a super-fun way to while a couple of minutes away during the day. Because they are socially tied in, when you harvest a crop or shoot a bad guy, it shows up on your friends (and clients’) walls. Imagine them, sitting and waiting for a vital email from you and the next thing they see is that got a high score on bejeweled! Now, I am sure that you were playing while you were eating lunch or returning calls or any of the million other things that you have to do to stay alive in a day BUT you don’t have to broadcast that to everyone who is connected to you on Facebook! While this is not actually a virus or a scam, I don’t think that gaming has any place on Facebook for a business professional!

Stik Facebook Spam

Stik is a Facebook App that asks for peer recommendations and then wants to spam your friend’s walls with all kinds of useless information. We work with LOTS of Realtors who love to push these kinds of things out but HONESTLY, it is spam and will get you unfriended faster than you can shake a stick! Here is a great post about “Social Media SPAM – Is Stik.com good for your facebook profile?” that says it better than I ever could!

You Are In This Picture Facebook Scams

Any time you get a notification from a friend that says “you look wonderful in this picture” or “OMG, did you see what you did on this video”, step lightly! If they require you to “allow” an app to access your account to see what horrible fate has befallen your image, DO NOT CLICK ALLOW!!! It is a spammer app that will then send that same message to everyone on your friends list.

Check Out Who Visited Your Profile Scams

This is a big one I get almost every day! There is NOT a way to see who has simply typed your name into the search bar to look you up. When you see this message, it means that one of your friends got fooled and a spyware or virus app wants to bother all YOUR friends now too. DO NOT CLICK ALLOW – do you see a theme here people, if you have to click allow to see something, it is one that you DO NOT want to let into your FB world!

Rules Of Thumb For Avoiding Being A Facebook Spammer

The worst part of being fooled into clicking some of these Facebook malware programs is that it makes YOU look like you are a spammer! Whether you intended to or not, you put your friends on the spammers radar by randomly clicking things that you should know better than to click! Here are some good rules of thumb to avoid being taken in:

If it seems to good to be true, it is! Social media is no different than anywhere else. NO ONE is going to give you an iPad for free OR get you 10,000 fans overnight or any of the other wild things out there. Have some common sense and think to yourself, does this make sense?
Generally people are nice on Facebook. Because Facebook has a self monitoring feature of letting people unfriend you if you are a jerk, rarely will anyone send you a message that says someone else posted a picture or a video of you looking like a fool. These types of scare tactics prey on our insecurities but are mostly imaginary. What horrible things you think are happen on FB (almost like High School) mostly aren’t! Just keep track of what you are tagged and posted in and you will be fine (if they want you to hit “allow” to see it first, altogether now, DO NOT CLICK THE LINK!)
If it seems totally self serving, it probably is. Stik is totally PUSH marketing that is telling people that you are in business and they better damn well listen to you. Social media is not like that, it is more around the corner marketing and NO ONE likes having your marketing message on their wall, ESPECIALLY if you can not control where it goes!
General Information About Facebook Scams

Facebooks Official Word On Application Spam – Somewhat Boiler-platey from the horse’s mouth
Rogue Facebook apps steal log-in data, send spam – A really good visual post about how they can even steal your login info!
Facebook Spam Apps Still Alive and Well – As of December over 60,000 people had fallen for the “See Who Visited Your Profile” scam and still it rolls on (REALLY? Why can’t Facebook shut this thing down?!?!?!)
A Detailed Analysis Report about Facebook Spam Applications and How to protect your Facebook Account from those – REALLY good post about how these scams technically work!
I KNOW, there are probably a hundred different privacy settings that you can use to try to avoid these slimey spammers, but at the end of the day, using your common sense will do more to help your Facebook Marketing avoid application scams and viruses than any privacy settings can ever do. Stop clicking random strange things and you should generally be fine!

Article Source: http://marketingartfully.com/2011/05/11/facebook-marketing-application-scams-and-viruses/

Facebook marketing is generally fun! We have a process by which we make sure that our clients get great exposure and connect with the most people and companies possible. That having been said, there are A LOT of application scams and viruses so tread carefully if you are using Facebook for business!

Shocking Video Scams Spread Virally on Facebook [WARNING]

Several new Facebook scams are making the rounds today, and although they follow the same pattern as many of the recent scams we’ve seen, some users are still falling for them.

The scams work as follows: First, you’ll see an interesting link in other users’ status updates, but when you follow the link, you’ll be asked to fill out a number of surveys, which are nothing more than ploys to extract your personal data.

Today, we’ve seen two very similar scams, both promising a “shocking video” to unsuspecting users. One message that appears in status updates reads: “I am shocked!!! I’m NEVER texting AGAIN since I found this out. Video here: http://bit.ly/c4SDyh – Worldwide scandal!”

If you click on the link in the message, it’ll lead you to a rogue Facebook application, which will ask you to fill in a couple of surveys before you can actually see the promised content.

Another message promises a shocking video of a teacher that nearly killed a boy; clicking on the link in the status update will, once again, only force you to jump through hoops and hand over your personal data in the process. Graham Cluley from Sophos does a great job explaining the attack in the video below.

Our advice, as always, is not to click on suspicious links if you’re not absolutely sure they’re safe. Do not give away your personal info. If you’ve fallen for these (or similar) scams, remove the offending app(s) from your Facebook, and remove the related status message from your newsfeed.

source: http://mashable.com/2010/07/28/shocking-video-scam-facebook/

Active Facebook Scams to Avoid

The scammers have been out in full force this week. We have seen some old ones, some new ones and some that just won't die! The important thing for all Facebook users to remember is to remain vigilant at all times, and always be careful what you click!

Below is a listing of the most popular scams that we have discovered or Facecrooks readers have submitted recently. Be sure to share it with your friends!

Ryan Dunn Last Words - EXCLUSIVE VIDEO!

• Ryan Dunn Crash Video [Exclusive]
• Warning:Ryan Dunn Crash Video please not look this video if you are not over 18Years?
• VIDEO - Jackass Star Ryan Dunn Dies In Car Crash!!!
• Ryan Dunn Crash Scene Real FOOTAGE
  

Photographer commited SUICIDE 3 days after shooting THIS video! (link to Sophos)

J-Lo's Wardrobe Malfunction- T****'s Out!

[REAL VIDEO] A hot girl is stripping on cam and... look what happens!!

WTF - What are you doing in this Video??

• Video - Modelo italiana mostrando sus atributos
• It turned out her Boobs On Live Television
• Video - Italian Model Shows her Tit's on Live T.V -! EXCLUSIVE
• Italian Model - See what Happens Next!
• Video - Italian Model showing her Assets on T.V - EXCLUSIVE!

Overly Dramatic Orgasm

• [VIDEO] Look what she did on LIVE TV
• Shows her boobs on national TV!
• Bedroom adventures.. Amazing!
• Scandalously sexy
• Yeahh!! It happens on Live Television!

The most provokative video ever

Dad walks in on daughter...EMBARRASING!!!

Facebook Now Has A Dislike button! Enable The Feature

[Phishing Alert] Bogus Alert from Facebook Security

As you can see, many of these scams use numerous headlines and urls to spread to as many people as possible. Don't let your curiosity get the best of you - never click on shocking or sensational Facebook links (or anywhere for that matter!)

Also be on the lookout for suspicious looking comments left by friends on your status updates, photos, videos, etc. Do not click on any hyperlinks located in comments until you have verified their legitimacy with the friend leaving the comment. Or you can check the link with an online virus scanner.

Please share this report to help educate your friends about these threats. If people don't let their curiosity get the best of them and take some basic security precautions, then these scams will dissipate much quicker.

source:http://www.facecrooks.com

Warning: 25 Profile Spy Scams To Avoid

What To Avoid

Facebook Users: If you see messages like the ones depicted in the examples below, in your NEWS FEED, Inbox, Facebook Events List or Chat Window, do not click any of the links in them. These messages are Profile Spy Scams and will lead to Rogue Facebook Applications, Survey Scams, Phishing Scams or other malware. Please see the example pictures below.

Examples ( 25 Of The Most Currently Active Profile Spy Scams ) - AVOID THEM

Why You Should Avoid It.

The Profile Spy And Why It Is A Scam.

A Profile Spy is a fake application that claims to allow users to see who has stalked, crept around, visited or viewed their Facebook Profile. Most of these bogus applications simply spread random messages from one persons profile to the next in effort to dupe unsuspecting facebook users in to taking Surveys. The surveys earn scam artists between $1 to 2 dollars and can be used for much more malicious intentions like, Identity Theft or to push malware and or viruses on to users computers. Most of the bogus messages pushed out by these rogue apps include a link to an external domain or a Facebook application. When you click on this link, you are taken to a site where you are asked to like and share the page or urged to install some unknown application on your Facebook profile. You are told that this is a requirement in order to sign up or use the Profile Spy application. If you follow the directions given, you will either manually send spam messages or the application will automatically send spam messages, just like the one you received, to your friends on Facebook. You are then told to take a survey or download a product to complete the process and use the app. Although this scam started a few years ago, it is still around and some people are still unaware that it is a scam. Don’t fall victim to it or any other application that claims to be able to see who looks at your Facebook profile, they are all scams. Facebook claims it has made it technically impossible to find out who has viewed your Facebook Profile because it is a violation of Facebook policies to track profile views.

What Facebook Says About Seeing Your Profile Viewers:

The 2 photos below are taken from 2 facebook help topics that explain why Profile Spies DO NOT work on facebook. The statements are quite clear and shouldn't need explaining.

Photo 1 From: http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=12903

Privacy: Who can see my profile and content?

Can I know who’s viewing my profile or how often it’s being viewed?

Photo 2 From: http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=14357

Privacy: Privacy settings and fundamentals

Can I see who's viewed my profile? There's a group or application claiming I can find out who has been viewing my profile.

How To Fix It, If You Fell For It

How to Recover After A Rogue Application Install

If you have installed any Rogue Applications to your facebook profile, due to a Profile Spy Scam, you may be currently spamming your wall and or your friends News Feeds with the Rogue Applications viral/scam messages. You must remove the messages from your wall by deleting the post and remove the rogue app by uninstalling it from your facebook profile.

How to remove a Rogue Application and it's Spam Messages from your profile:

To Remove The Rogue Applications Messages From Your Wall:

1. Navigating to your profile wall, then locate the message you want to remove.
2. Once you've located the message click on the little "X" at the top right corner of the message.
3. At that point Facebook will either open a dialog box which will ask you are sure you want to remove the post, or it will offer you a menu. If you get The Dialog Box simply click the "Remove Post" button in the dialog box to remove the message. If you get The Menu simply Select "Remove Post OR Remove Post and Revoke The Publishing Rights of {App Name}" from the menu and the message will be removed.

To Remove The Rogue Application From Your Facebook Profile:

1. From your Facebook home page Click Account, then "Privacy Settings".
2. Then under the heading "Applications, Games, and Websites" click "Edit Settings".
3. To the right of the heading "Applications You Use" Click the "Edit Settings" button.
4. Finally find the rogue application you want to remove in the list and click the "Little X" to the right of it's name. From there Simply follow the facebook prompts to remove the app.

How to Remove A Rogue Photo: ( You've Tagged Your Friends )

This will happen if you've installed a Rogue App which places a photo on your wall and then proceeds to tag your friends in that photo. You can remove the rogue Photo and the associated rogue app by following the directions given in the How to remove a Rogue Application and it's Spam Messages from your profile section above.

How to Remove Your Name From a Tagged Photo: (You've Been Tagged)

1. Navigating to the Photo with the Offending Tag in it. You will be able to find it by scrolling down your news feed or scrolling down your profile wall.
2. Once you have found the Photo, simply click it. ( DO NOT click any of the links next to the Photo. Just Click the Photo. )
3. When the photo loads, simply look right below the photo and you will see a list of people who have been tagged it.
4. Find Your Name in the list, then click the "Remove Tag" link right next to Your Name. The tag will be removed..

There is a video for the removal process available here:

How to remove post, plus remove and block rogue applications.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O7Fjf1wlx4

Did You Fill Out The Survey Scam.

It is important that you never hand over any personal information, such as: email addresses, cell number, name, home address or credit card numbers, to these types of scams. If you do, you are simply setting yourself up to be spammed or worse. Identity theft is big business and handing over some of the info these bogus surveys ask for, will make you a victim of that business. If you have made the mistake of handing over a credit card number, you should call your bank or credit provider as soon as possible to have them remove or dispute the charges that have or maybe made to the card. If you've given your cell number to any of these types of Scams, it is important that you call your cell carrier ASAP to have any charges you may receive stopped. If you begin to receive unsolicited phone calls, you should take note of the calls, record names and numbers, then report the calls to the FCC or other proper authorities..

source: http://scamsniper.blogspot.com/