If you are on Facebook you have seen the “Like” button underneath users’s post, which is a cute way to let people know that you agree with or “like” what they said, without having to post a comment. For years, people have been saying that they should also have a “Dislike” button, so many Facebook users eagerly download a recent program that said it loaded the new “Dislike” button to your profile.
This program will ask you to download an application, which then brings up several surveys asking for personal information, and in the end you do get a “Dislike” button but you are also automatically signed up for a $5 per month cell phone charge.
Here is a link to a video report on this scam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei9GGyz1uWc&feature=player_embedded
As always, I have to share the warnings from the FBI. We have seen this scam a lot on social networking sites like Facebook. One tip, if the person contacting you does NOT have children, ask them “Are the kids with you?” and if they say “Yes, they are.” or “No, they are safe at home.” then you know it is a scam.
Evaluate Appeals for Help from Friends Traveling Abroad with Caution
The Internet Crime Complaint Center continues to receive reports of individuals’ e-mail or social networking accounts being compromised and used in a social engineering scam to swindle consumers out of thousands of dollars.
Here’s how it works: Hackers infiltrate your social networking page, claim to be you, and write your contacts/friends. They portray themselves as “victims” who were robbed while traveling abroad and state they need money immediately because they don’t have a passport, money, credit cards, or cell phone and are stranded.
Some claim they only have a few days to pay their hotel bill and promise to reimburse costs upon their return home. Recipients may be tempted to respond to these appeals because they appear to be from a friend and there’s a sense of urgency to help.
If you receive a similar notice and aren’t sure if it is a scam, you should always verify the information before sending any money. If you have been a victim of this type of scam or any other cyber crime, report it to the IC3 website at http://www.IC3.gov.
The IC3’s database links complaints for potential referral to the appropriate law enforcement agency for case consideration. Complaint information is also used to identity emerging trends and patterns.
That Facebook recently changed it’s privacy settings? Now they can share your personal information with large companies WITHOUT YOUR APPROVAL! What is the point of having an account with settings so that only certain people can view your account if they are going to give the info to anyone they want.
Senator Al Franken recently asked Facebook to change their policies. The Electronic Privacy Information Center is also asking the FTC to do something about this issue.
Until Facebook does change their policy you can opt-out of having your information shared with third parities.
You can complete the whole process in a few minutes using the links below and your browser’s ‘back’ button. Here is how:
More Facebook login scam emails . . . I had 19 of them in my SPAM folder!
Below are the email addresses from this scam email. I like to post these in case someone does a google search on them.
Subject: New login system
From: update+rgogqpctttsr@facebookmail.com
Reply To: disorient47@sira.net
From: update+dliugby@facebookmail.com
Reply To: codependent465@sssheet.com
update+lnncltkgyzup@facebookmail.com
From: update+ghswbfz@facebookmail.com
From: update+ljeuhyagcq@facebookmail.com
update+yvesfftsiqywhv@facebookmail.com
update+wraywxbjjgz@facebookmail.com
update+mzbdzhlqdfz@facebookmail.com
update+pzgxnjof@facebookmail.com
update+gmgnlbscafdv@facebookmail.com
update+ibwxqcwwrlfnm@facebookmail.com
update+aqcavrtnuzbik@facebookmail.com
update+oinecjo@facebookmail.com
update+opuhqlwsknknf@facebookmail.com
update+mxwiwbc@facebookmail.com
update+vbizdtnyxnt@facebookmail.com
update+gpksidnvuak@facebookmail.com
update+ydvejcd@facebookmail.com
update+clvwaojhtxpilz@facebookmail.com
Dear Facebook user,
In an effort to make your online experience safer and more enjoyable, Facebook will be implementing a new login system that will affect all Facebook users. These changes will offer new features and increased account security.
Before you are able to use the new login system, you will be required to update your account.
Please click on the link below to update your account online now:
If you have any questions, reference our New User Guide.
Thanks,
The Facebook Team
I was checking my spam folder for scam emails, like I always do, and I found TWO from different email accounts with the same Facebook Login Scam. Below is a copy of the text along with the email addresses that they were sent from.
Subject: new login system
From: update+fronaltlwvdsv@facebookmail.com
From: update+gbidzxt@facebookmail.com
Dear Facebook user, In an effort to make your online experience safer and more enjoyable, Facebook will be implementing a new login system that will affect all Facebook users. These changes will offer new features and increased account security.
Before you are able to use the new login system, you will be required to update your account. Click here to update your account online now. If you have any questions, reference our New User Guide.
Thanks, The Facebook Team
——————
If you recieve a similar email, do not click on the links in it. This is how the scammer gets your Facebook account, and maybe other iformation about you.
Be safe!
This is from a Press Release from the FBI today
No, Your Social Networking “Friend” Isn’t Really in Trouble Overseas
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), there has been an increase in the number of hijacked social networking accounts reported to http://www.ic3.gov.
One of the more popular scams involves online criminals planting malicious software and code onto to victim computers. It starts by someone opening a spam e-mail, sometimes from another hijacked friend’s account.
When opened, the spam allows the cyber intruders to steal passwords for any account on the computer, including social networking sites. The thieves then change the user’s passwords and eventually send out distress messages claiming they are in some sort of legal or medical peril and requesting money from their social networking contacts.
So far, nearly 3,200 cases of account hijackings have been reported to the IC3 since 2006.
Cyber thieves are also using spam to promote phishing sites, claiming a violation of the terms of service agreement or creating some other issue which needs to be resolved. Other spam entices users to download an application or view a video. Some of these messages appear to be sent from friends, giving the perception of legitimacy. Once the user responds to a phishing site, downloads an application, or clicks on a video link, the electronic device they’re using becomes infected.
Some applications advertised on social networking sites appear legitimate but install malicious code or rogue anti-virus software. These empty applications can give cyber criminals access to your profile and personal information. These programs will automatically send messages to your contacts, instructing them to download the new application too.
Infected users are often unknowingly spreading malware by having links to infected websites posted on their webpage without the user’s knowledge. Since the e-mail or video link appear to be endorsed by a friend, social networking contacts are more likely to click on these links.
Although social networking sites are generally a safe place to interact with friends and acquaintances, keep in mind these suggestions to protect yourself while navigating the Internet:
Adjust website privacy settings. Some networking sites have provided useful options to assist in adjusting settings to help protect your identity.
Be selective when adding friends. Once added, contacts can access any information marked as viewable by all friends.
Limit access to your profile to only those contacts you trust with your personal information.
Disable options, such as photo sharing, that you might not regularly use. You can always enable these options later.
Be careful what you click on. Just because someone posts a link or video to their wall does not mean it is safe.
Familiarize yourself with the security and privacy settings and learn how to report a compromised account.
Each social networking site may have different procedures on how to handle a hijacked or infected account; therefore, you may want to reference their help or FAQ page for instructions.
If your account has been hijacked or infected, report it to by visiting www.ic3.gov or www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
The following information was issued by the IC3 and can be found at http://www.ic3.gov/media/2009/091001.aspx
Techniques Used By Fraudsters On Social Networking Sites
Fraudsters continue to hijack accounts on social networking sites and spread malicious software by using various techniques. One technique involves the use of spam to promote phishing sites, claiming there has been a violation of the terms of agreement or some other type of issue which needs to be resolved. Other spam entices users to download an application or view a video. Some spam appears to be sent from users’ “friends”, giving the perception of being legitimate. Once the user responds to the phishing site, downloads the application, or clicks on the video link, their computer, telephone or other digital device becomes infected.
Another technique used by fraudsters involves applications advertised on social networking sites, which appear legitimate; however, some of these applications install malicious code or rogue anti-virus software. Other malicious software gives the fraudsters access to your profile and personal information. These programs will automatically send messages to your “friends” list, instructing them to download the new application too.
Infected users are often unknowingly spreading additional malware by having infected Web sites posted on their Webpage without their knowledge. Friends are then more apt to click on these sites since they appear to be endorsed by their contacts.
Tips on avoiding these tactics:
Adjust Web site privacy settings. Some networking sites have provided useful options to assist in adjusting these settings to help protect your identity.
Be selective of your friends. Once selected, your “friends” can access any information marked as “viewable by all friends.”
You can select those who have “limited” access to your profile. This is for those whom you do not wish to give full friend status to or with whom you feel uncomfortable sharing personal information.
Disable options and then open them one by one such as texting and photo sharing capabilities. Users should consider how they want to use the social networking site. If it is only to keep in touch with people then perhaps it would be better to turn off the extra options which will not be used.
Be careful what you click on. Just because someone posts a link or video to their “wall” does not mean it is safe.
Those interested in becoming a user of a social networking site and/or current users are recommended to familiarize themselves with the site’s policies and procedures before encountering such a problem.
Each social networking site may have different procedures on how to handle a hijacked or infected account; therefore, you may want to reference their help or FAQ page for instructions.
Individuals who experienced such incidents are encouraged to file a complaint at www.IC3.gov reporting the incident.
Often when victims ask “Where can I report these scams?” what they really want to know is how they recover the money that they lost. The sad truth is that there is no place that you can report this scam to that will be able to recover your money. To the scam victims, at the moment that they realized that they have been scammed it seems like it would be easy to find and arrest the scammer, and recover the money lost . . . you have their name, email address, phone number and maybe even a mailing address . . . but most if not all of those items are fakes that they use for their “profile”, and the other issue that comes up is jurisdiction, which we spoke about earlier.
So then what can be done? Different scam fighting websites have different approaches to how they “fight back” against these scammers.
At Scam Victims United we take the approach of providing information about scams in order to try and educate people before they become a victim. We have created a Facebook Fan Page in order to bring our message where people “hang out”. We would like to see scam education brought into the school systems so that we can give the next generation the tools and resources that they need to recognize and avoid these scams. We allow people to post scam emails that they receive so that then names, email addresses and company names being used in the scams will come up in search engines. We also encourage people to report these scams, as we talked about earlier.
“Scam Baiting” is another way of fighting back, and there are websites devoted to this. Scam Baiting is pretending to be interested in the scammer’s offer in order to waste their time, and money, by having them send you counterfeit checks. The site that I would recommend on this topic is 419eater.com because they will assist new “baiters” in learning the best way to go about this in order to protect yourself.
Other sites focus on different ways of shutting down the scammers fake websites and closing the emailing accounts that they use by reporting them to the hosting sites or mail providers. One of these sites would be Report-Online-Scams.com
While these sites cannot help you recover your money, they can help you to do something to fight scams. Education is the key to fighting scams, so talk about it with your friends and family and share sites like this with people you know.
Shawn Mosch
Co-Founder of ScamVictimsUnited.com
There is strength in numbers!