This week, Facebook scams seem to be all over the place. Today Facebook warned users about a new clickjacking scam that milks $ 5 a week from cell phone accounts by exploiting Facebook’s “Share” feature. Seems like that Facebook has let the clickjacking scam and dislike scam emerge together. Facebook buttons that don’t really exist, like the likejacking scam last May, are what these scams use. Typical red flags to notice and recognize are how Facebook users can stay away from these scams.
How to Facebook clickjack
The Facebook clickjacking scam uses the Share feature that posts content to the profile wall where friends are encouraged to click on it. PC World explains:
A user clicks a link to a Facebook page for “10 Funny T-Shirt Fails” for example. Once on the page, a message says Facebook’s new three-step human verification process is required to see the content. On step two, users are asked to click the “Next” button. The Next button is a dummy. Hidden underneath is a real Share button. When users click Next to get to the final step, they actually post that page to their profile wall. Lured to step three, users are asked for personal information to enter a contest. Among other things, the survey asks for a cell phone number. Down in the survey’s fine print it says providing the data tacks an extra $ 5 per week onto the users cell phone bill for a service called “The Awesome Test.”
Facebook also had the dislike button scam
The Facebook dislike button scam emerged because of Facebook user demand. There is no “dislike” button on Facebook. Walletpop reports that the scam involves a bogus “Dislike” button intended to install malicious spyware for identity theft. The bogus button is found with a link saying “Get the official DISLIKE button now”. The link leads to a bogus “install” page. If there really was a dislike button, it wouldn’t have to be installed. The users have to allow the application to run to install it. Then they’re asked to complete a survey — the exact same trick used in the Facebook clickjacking scam.
Facebook scams are everywhere
Facebook decided any fan page that had the clickjacking scam somehow a part of it would be removed. Cell phone companies of those filling out surveys need to be called. Scam patterns are easy to recognize for Facebook users, says Reuters. Be smart and skeptical about it all. Beware of status updates from friends that seem out of character, like a heavy metal dude posting about Justin Bieber. Check out how the update was delivered and written. Facebook won’t need apps like the “Official Dislike Button” for its own stuff. And scams will always give themselves away by sending users from Facebook to one more website.
Further reading
PC World
pcworld.com/article/203546/facebook_warns_of_clickjacking_scam.html?tk=hp_new
Wallet Pop
walletpop.com/blog/2010/08/16/dislike-button-on-facebook-a-scam/
Reuters
reuters.com/article/idUS162937196620100817
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