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/