Tag Archives: scam

Are the scammers reading SMD?

…… well it would appear that they are!

After numerous posts where I questioned the sanity of trying to scam Facebook users by “giving away” hundreds of “prizes” this page popped up with a quite believable twelve laptops to give away (See the highlighted passage).15-05-2013-8-50-01-AM

Also there is no ridiculous reason for the give away as previously seen  in likewhore scams of this ilk such as, “we can’t sell them because they are unsealed.” This is also something that I have highlighted in several posts as signs of a con.

So the scammers are clearly reading the page (I feel so special – *waves “hi” to the scammers)

The clues to the scam are still there however, the page has only been open for a few days and this was the first, and only, post. True to form, as of this morning the account has disappeared. WHAT? before the July 1st prize draw date?  Naw shucks!

What I really found AMAZING about this is the person right at the bottom (under the arrow) who comments “Sounds like a scam to harvest FB users accounts. Prove me wrong.”  - BA BOW, unlucky chuamp. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it’s not likely to be an elephant.

I really can’t stress enough the importance of having a close look at these prize give away pages before “liking” or “sharing” anything. It only takes two seconds to visit the page and check out how long the page has been operating and how many posts they’ve made. Chances are; not very long and not very many.

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!

A Truth? On Facebook? It must have escaped from the zoo!

Just to show you that not everything on social media is rubbish and that it can be used for the purposes of good not evil here is a warning about a confirmed bona fide phone scam.

This scam first appeared in about 2009 and you can read the post below. It popped up on BT’s Website as well as Virgin Media (the two providers featured in this version) and has lots of credible sources (Hoax-Slayer, BBC, The Register) from 2009. Are they still running the scam? Hard to say, the Facebook post that we saw today still says “new telephone scam” despite it starting in ’09  but it has happened before so we’re still calling this TRUE!

Subject: BT phone scam

PLEASE PASS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY.

The new telephone ‘scam’ has arrived.

I received a call from a ‘representative’ of BT, informing me that he was disconnecting me because of an unpaid bill. He demanded payment immediately of £31.00, or it would be £118.00 to re-connect at a later date.

The guy wasn’t even fazed when I told him I was with Virgin Media, allegedly VM have to pay BT a percentage for line rental!

I asked the guy’s name – the very ‘English’ John Peacock with a very ‘African’ accent – & phone number – 0800 0800 152.

Obviously the fella realized I wasn’t believing his story, so offered to demonstrate that he was from BT. I asked how & he told me to hang up & try phoning someone – he would disconnect my phone to prevent this.

AND HE DID!!
My phone was dead – no engaged tone, nothing – until he phoned me again.

Very pleased with himself, he asked if that was enough proof that he was with BT. I asked how the payment was to be made & he said credit card, there & then.

I said that I didn’t know how he’d done it, but I had absolutely no intention of paying him, I didn’t believe his name or that he worked for BT.

He hung up.
Did 1471 & phoned his fictitious 0800 number – not recognised.

I phoned the police to let them know, I wasn’t the first! It’s only just started apparently but it is escalating.

Their advice was to let as many people know by word of mouth of this scam. The fact that the phone does go off would probably convince some people it’s real, so please let as many friends & family aware of this.

This is good but not that clever. He gave the wrong number – it should have been 0800 800152 which takes you through to BT Business. The cutting off of the line is very simple , he stays on the line with the mute button on and you can’t dial out – but he can hear you trying. (This is because the person who initiates a call is the one to terminate it). When you stop trying he cuts off and immediately calls back. You could almost be convinced! The sad thing is that it is so simple that it will certainly fool the elderly and vulnerable. Obviously, if this scam is real, once they have your credit/debit card details, there is nothing to stop them cleaning out your account.