Web Safety NZ New Zealand Internet Safety
Facebook Scams: What You Need To Know. Facebook usage in New Zealand has grown to over 2 million users, for which most are active on the site daily. With the ability to communicate to many people quickly, advertise social events and connect with new groups, Facebook has become a lucrative platform for criminals to ply their trade.
The scams are becoming not only more common, but are also becoming more creative in the way they try to ‘trick’ the user into clicking links and ultimately infecting the user.
Although Facebook have implemented a number of security features, con artists will always find new ways to ply their trade. But ultimately, it becomes the responsibility of the individual user, to educate themselves and be aware of the existing threats.
We have found 9 you ought to be aware of:
- Clickjacking
Clickjacking is when a user on Facebook is encouraged to copy and paste text into their browser bar by posting too-good-to-be-true offers and eye-catching headlines. In doing so, the user infects his own computer with the malicious code, allowing the clickjackers to take control of his account, spam his friends and further spread their scam. For example, clickjacking schemes hit Facebook soon after bin Laden’s death and spread like wildfire by purporting to offer users a glimpse at video or photos of bin Laden’s death.
- Fake Polls or Questionaires
If you click on an ad or a link that takes you to a questionnaire on a site outside Facebook, it’s best to close the page. Completing a fake quiz, helps scammers earn commission. Sometimes a quiz may ask for your mobile number before you can view your results. If scammers get your number, it is possible they could run up charges on your account.
- Phishing Scams
Phishing scammers are solely looking for your credentials (username, password and sometimes more), then take over your profile, and may attempt to gain access to your other online accounts. Phishing schemes can be difficult to spot, especially if the scammers have set up a page that resembles Facebook’s login portal.
Other phishing scams may include appearing to come from your bank, internet service provider, insurance company or any other business you may have a relationship with.
One clear way to spot a phishing scam is to hover your mouse over the link they ask you to click. You will see the TRUE url or site name show toward the bottom of page for about 10 seconds. It will always be different to the site name of the REAL business.
- Phoney Email or Message
Facebook warns users to be on the lookout for emails or messages from scammers masquerading as “The Facebook Team” or “Facebook.” These messages often suggest “urgent action” and may ask the user to update his account. They frequently contain links to malware sites or virus-ridden attachments. They may even ask for your username and password. The best advice Facebook offers is to report the sender and delete the messages without clicking anything.
- Money Transfer Scheme
If a friend sent you a desperate-sounding Facebook chat message or wall post asking for an emergency money transfer, you’d want to help, right? Naturally. That’s what makes this scam so awful. The point is to get you to wire money to scammers via Western Union or another transfer service.
- Fake Friend Request
Not all friend requests come from real people, despite Facebook’s safeguards against bots. Some Facebook accounts exist purely to establish broad connections for spamming or extracting personal data from users, so watch out whose friend requests you accept. As a rule, only accept friend requests from people you know personally.
- Fake Page Scam
Malicious pages, groups or event invitations aim to trick the user into performing actions that Facebook considers “abusive.” For instance, a fake invite might offer a prize if you forward it to all your friends or post spam content on their walls. Sometimes a scammer will set up fake pages as a front for a clickjacking or phishing scheme.
- Rogue Apps
Malicious apps are pretty common on Facebook these days. They can be a cover for phishing, malware, clickjacking or money transfer schemes. Oftentimes, the apps look convincingly real enough for users to click “Allow,” as they would do with a normal Facebook app. However, rogue apps use this permission to spread spam through your network of friends. For example, the recent “Facebook Shutdown” scam spread by claiming that Facebook would delete all inactive accounts except those that confirmed via app installation.
- The Koobface Worm
The Koobface worm first appeared in late 2008 and has been mostly scrubbed from the site, but Facebook still warns users to look out for it. Koobface spreads across social networks like Facebook via posts containing a link that claims to be an Adobe Flash Player update. Instead, the link downloads malware that will infect your computer, hijack your Facebook profile and spam all your friends with its malicious download link. This worm affects mostly Windows users.
