Category Archives: Technology

Message from Zuckerberg Re: Facebook Video ads

fb-adsI like this, it shows that the nasty pasties are getting cunning!

The message is supposed to be from Mark Zuckerberg “informing” Facebook users that Facebook is, “looking into  playing video ads as a way to increase the profitability of Facebook….”  BUT if enough people share the message they wont bring in the video ads AT ALL.

OH PUHHHLEASE.

Firstly – AS IF a corporation would  release such a negatively worded introduction for something that they are doing: “These ads will stop what you are doing every ten mintues….” Have you never seen a commercial? They go like this, (as I write this I was just gifted an example from some boofhead telemarketer!) “Great news! I’m calling from Energy Australia (CULPRITS!) you have been selected for a discount on your gas and electricity bill” Really? that’s funny, you don’t supply my house with either of those things? “You are eligible for a minimum 20% discount on your gas and electricity!” erm ….. we don’t have gas and you aren’t my provider how come I’m entitled to a discount. “Ahh you are eligible for a discount” CLICK Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Secondly – If all the reports are even close to the mark Facebook stand to make $4 Million dollars A DAY from these ads, you really think they’re going to give that up just because we don’t like the idea?

Anyway, on to why I like this so much ….. well because, as far as scams go, this is a good one. It has enough truth in it comes across as plausible and lots of people will get sucked in.

Facebook are indeed going to start video ads, as early as next month if we’re to believe the FT, but unlike “Zuck’s” post suggests Phillipa Warr from wired.co.uk  reckons that they will indeed autoplay but MUTED (only having sound if the user chooses) and only in the user’s newsfeed, just like current “suggested posts”. Seems to me then that these ads will be as easily ignored as video ads on certain newspaper Websites, and contrary to “Zuck” the ads will be short, as Evan LePage says, “the advertisements will reportedly be limited to 15 seconds. Facebook will also work to ensure that only one video per brand will show up in your newsfeed on any given day. ” On top of this Cotton Delo of adage.com contradicts “Zuck” on the frequency of the ads saying that the frequency will be, “….capped to ensure that no user sees more than three per day”.

Kudos to the scammers for this one. It could nearly be true. Unfortunately Facebook has, as yet, declined to offer comment on video ads or how much cash they’ll be rolling in when they start appearing.

Video ads ARE coming but nevertheless this message is ……

DEBUNKED :)

Thanks to Kim for passing this one on ;)

CG-T

PS Energy Australia – YOU SUCK!

Are hackers posting porn on your FB page without your knowledge?

This one bent my brain a little but thanks to Kellee on FB for forwarding this one to us.

It appears that there is a hint of truth in this one. It goes back to 2011 when this first reared it’s head. It was initially reported as a hoax  but after many users continued to report posts like this it was looked into again.

Basically, back in 2011 nasty pasty hackers were getting access to unwitting users accounts by tricking them into cut/paste an internet code called Javascript into their browsers which then allowed the hackers to control the site that the user was interacting with. I want to say here in red & bold because it’s serious;

Do not ever, EVER! cut and paste any kind of code from Webpages or FB pages into your Web browser.

They will try to trick you by offering prizes or the chance to see “some celebrity doing something video/images”; there is no such prize or video;

Do not ever, EVER! EVER! cut and paste any kind of code from Webpages or FB pages into your Web browser.

Anywho, back to the story; It transpires that once the hacker had control of your FB account they posted (fake) images of Bieber (why do they always use this annoying midget??) engaging in some hardcore man love and naked grannies and so on, onto your wall.

Rumours surrounding this attack were linked to various groups like Anonymous back in 2011, but were never confirmed.

Facebook got onto the problem and found the security problem was with certain Web browsers (I’m not saying that IE was a culprit – because I don’t know that for sure – but I BET you that it was!)  and released a statement saying,

“Protecting the people who use Facebook from spam and malicious content is a top priority for us, and we are always working to improve our systems to isolate and remove material that violates our terms. Recently, we experienced a coordinated spam attack that exploited a browser vulnerability. Our efforts have drastically limited the damage caused by this attack, and we are now in the process of investigating to identify those responsible.

During this spam attack users were tricked into pasting and executing malicious javascript in their browser URL bar causing them to unknowingly share this offensive content. Our engineers have been working diligently on this self-XSS vulnerability in the browser. We’ve built enforcement mechanisms to quickly shut down the malicious Pages and accounts that attempt to exploit it. We have also been putting those affected through educational checkpoints so they know how to protect themselves. We’ve put in place backend measures to reduce the rate of these attacks and will continue to iterate on our defenses to find new ways to protect people.”

Which basically means that they found the main problem was with certain browsers but fixed it from their end.

NOTE: The issue with browsers has since been fixed and security updates have been sent: another reason you should always keep your browser updated.

NOW …… That is the end of the history lesson.

The current warning that is circulating FB (an example is pictured but we’ve seen a few other versions) is more than likely a fake, a simple scam by 484757_567934649904281_1533185397_nlikewhores to increase the reputation of their page.

My advice; instead of spreading this message and potentially furthering the cause of those who only want to mess up the joint, protect your account from these attacks. NEVER cut/paste code into your browser (I may have mentioned that previously!), ALWAYS  keep your browser updated, NEVER install unknown apps that request to “post on your behalf” and uninstall any apps that do have permission, NEVER get sucked into clicking on the “OMG you wont believe it” video links and finally, if you do see something that looks sus, report it to Facebook and the friend in question so that they can secure their account.

Happy internetting!

Fake FB Pages offering free consoles to “BETA testers”

There are a few of these bogus pages springing up in Facebook land. They suck in gamers with the chance to test new games consoles and keep the console once the test is complete.

The example we’ve used here is for XBox 720 but we’ve seen pages for Playstation 4 and others.

xbox_720

These pages are completely bogus, the initial “likes” are from other bogus accounts and are merely a way for spammers to get a large number of “likes” or “shares” from genuine Facebook users. In turn their bogus page looks legit and seems popular so the spammers can spread even more of their evil spam.

Please stop “liking” “sharing” and commenting on these pages even if your just curious, as Craig Charles Haley of thatsnonsense.com puts it,

“You don’t need to put your hand in the fire to see if you get burnt. These giveaway Pages are never going to be genuine. Authentic competitions are only promoted by the official Fan Pages of the merchants running them. Don’t be responsible for passing this nonsense on to your friends. Remember, on social networking sites like Facebook we all rely on each other to help keep us safe and one person sharing spam can expose their friends to danger.“

By interacting with these sites you’re exposing yourself and all of your friends to all kinds of internet nasties. DON’T DO IT!

DEBUNKED!

(Not even nearly) Back in Black …. or pink or red or ……….

ImageYou’ve more than likely seen this in one form or another sometime since 2012 when it seems to have started. This (image) is the latest in a loooooong line of “change the colour of your Facebook” scams. These are boloney! The links lead to survey scams that use your information to make you a perfect target for further spam campaigns or to Websites that install plugins to your computer without your permission (and trust me, these plugins are VERY hard to find and delete!

 

As always, use common sense and be careful what you click!

DEBUNKED!

The Bill Gates Speech of the Year (well the last 13 years actually!)

billgates

I almost hate debunking this one because everything it says is true.

Unfortunately, it was not Mr. Gates that made this inspiring speech, in fact it was not even a speech.

It was written as an opinion piece in a newspaper in the USA in 1996 by Charles Sykes.

I’m sure Bill wont mind the attribution he probably wishes he was this inspiring!

We reckon this should continue to tour the internet telling “the youff” how it really is. Just without the incorrect attribution to His Royal Microsoft-ness!

DEBUNKED!

 

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_bill_gates_speech.htm

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/schoolrules.asp

An oldie but a goodie

woman-pregnant-after-watching-porn-in-3D

I had to hold onto my chair to stop myself falling out of it when I received this one.

How we laughed three years ago when it was first doing the rounds and Gizmodo got duped.

We thought this was long dead but, apparently it’s still doing the rounds.

Woman gets pregnant after watching 3D porno. You just know something’s amiss here, right! Most people read the story and figured it was just a wife trying to fool a gullible husband, but no.

This was written as a joke in 2010 by Brazilian satirical news site Sensacionalista (imagine The Onion or Daily Mash but in Portuguese!) and the photo of the woman and baby was plucked randomly from the internet.

“The article was fake and we used a photo that we found on the internet.  Unfortunately, the article spread around the world because some sites thought it was real. This was not our intention. Sensacionalista is a small site from Brazil. We never thought this could happen. “ Sensacionalista May 2010.

This one is so old not only have we debunked it, we’ve (hopefully) put the final nail in it and boarded it up. It’s time to let it go folks!

Free iPhone/iPad for “Likes”

These “free” iPhone, iPad hoaxes continue to turn up on walls across the globe. Apply the old saying – NOTHING COMES FOR FREE.

The most recent one we saw reads;

freeiPhones“We have received 20 iPhone 5 16Gb but they can’t be sold because they aren’t sealed. For this reason, we are going to do a lottery using this page for people who share this photo and like this page.
Hit “Like this page” on top of the page !!
You must like this page AND share the picture if you want to be part of the lottery.

Choose a color in the comments.

Thank you all and good luck !”

It doesn’t even make sense, “can’t be sold because they aren’t sealed” – you can buy Brittney Spears’ breath on eBay but not an unsealed iPhone? We think not!

We know that some companies use giveaways to promote their sites or pages but usually there is only one prize.  A quick trip to the Free Apple Products page to find out that they only just joined Facebook gives us the distinct impression that “Free Apple Products” are bogus. DEBUNKED!