How low is a Facebook scammer prepared to go? Here's a pretty sick rogue application that we've seen affecting some users of the world's most popular social network, leading to the all too familiar money-making survey scam at the end.
OMG she is so busted!! Dad catches Daughter on Webcam!
Hmm. It would be nice to think that no-one would be interested in clicking on a link like that. But human nature being what it is, some folks (guys in particular I would guess) might be tempted to find out more and find they aren't able to show some restraint.
So, what does happen if you click on the link?
First thing you'll see is this splash screen (I've used some pixelation to protect the innocent):
If you are still tempted to click further, you'll be asked by a rogue Facebook application to grant permission for it to be able to post to your wall.
By the way, it's not just your personal Facebook page that the app will be able to post updates to - it will also be able to publish to any pages you might be responsible for, which could prove highly damage if you administer a Facebook page for your firm.
So, after all this, do you get to see the video?
Nope. Instead, you'll be greeted by a survey. And this survey makes money for the scammers behind the scheme as they earn commission for every survey completed.
Worse still, your Facebook account has already been abused by the rogue application which has posted a message about the dad catching his daughter stripping on a webcam for all of your Facebook friends to see.
Wow she got caught so dirty.Busted!! Dad Catches Daughter on Webcam!
Do not watch unless 18+
Content is graphic. Watch at your own risk!
In this way the scam spreads virally, attempting to earn as much money as possible for the survey scammers.
I know there will be people out there who feel that anyone who clicks on links like this deserve everything they get, but that doesn't mean the rest of us should be bombarded by spammy messages on Facebook just because some of our online friends have turned out to be a littel bit seedy.
We've seen cybercriminals use grubby themes like this to spread their attacks, and no doubt we'll see them again. Human nature isn't going to change and people will carry on clicking on them unless they're educated about the threats. Of course, it wouldn't do any harm if Facebook could work a little harder at preventing scams like this occurring in the first place.
If you have been hit by scams like this on Facebook, and are struggling to clean-up your profile, here's a YouTube video I made which describes what steps you need to take:
(Enjoy this video? You can check out more on the SophosLabs YouTube channel and subscribe if you like)
Make sure that you keep informed about the latest scams spreading fast across Facebook and other internet attacks. Join the Sophos page on Facebook, where over 60,000 people regularly share information on threats and discuss the latest security news.
A new scam is spreading rapidly across Facebook, using rogue applications to post spam messages onto users' profiles claiming to be a way of discovering the total number of times your Facebook profile has been viewed.
The following YouTube video explains more:
Tens of thousands of users have been tricked into clicking on the messages.
My total facebook views are: XXXX
Find out your total profile views
The number of "views" shown each time changes, and there are a number of different links being used, but all of them point to rogue applications which trick you into allowing them to access your Facebook page and profile:
And as soon as you click on "allow", the scammers have you by the short-and-curlies. Behind the scenes, they are already posting messages which can be seen by your Facebook friends.
Plenty of people may want to know how many times their Facebook profile has been viewed (some may regard it as a badge of honour, rather like collecting followers on Twitter, or connections on LinkedIn) but this application is making the number up.
How do I know? Well, the test account I used to research this particular rogue application is friends with no-one, and isn't found in a Facebook search. I hardly think that it's true that it's been viewed over 3645 times..
But, of course, if your friends see "you" posting a message like that on Facebook they may well be tempted to find out their score for veiwers themselves, and click on the link and approve the application. And thus the rogue application spreads virally across Facebook.
So, what's the intention of all this? Well, if you do allow the rogue app to access your profile and post to your Facebook page then you'll next be taken to the webpage which claims it will calculate the number of people who have viewed your profile.
But first, they want you to complete a survey.
The scammers make money every time one of these surveys is completed. They're simply using the draw of a mythical Facebook view count to lure in the unwary and get as many people as possible to click on their links and take their surveys.
If you've been affected by this scam, you should clean up your account before any further damage is done.
I've made a YouTube video where I show you how to clean-up your Facebook account if you were hit by this, or similar scams on Facebook:
(Enjoy this video? You can check out more on the SophosLabs YouTube channel and subscribe if you like)
Make sure that you stay informed about the latest scams spreading fast across Facebook and other internet attacks. Join the Sophos Facebook page, where more than 50,000 people regularly share information on threats and discuss the latest security news.
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