December 23, 2024 06:31 AM

Facebook Black? Watch Out For This New Scam to Hit The Social Networking Site

The internet is full of scammers and with the increasing popularity of Facebook and Twitter, scamming has become an unwanted part of social networking and internet use. The latest Facebook scam to hit the internet is "Facebook Black." The scam lures Facebook users to survey that says they can have the new "Facebook black."

ZDNet.com reported that The post says something like this, "Switch to Black Facebook (Limited Time!)," "Switch to Red Facebook (Limited Time!)," or "Switch to Pink Facebook (Limited Time!)," and the description reads something like this, "Say goodbye to the boring blue profile and say hello to the black profile!!"

The link takes the user to a website with an app that says you can change your Facebook color to anything. Once the application is downloaded, the user is asked to do a survey before they can change their Facebook color.

In the end, there is no Facebook color change, but rather the advertisement for Facebook black is posted on the user's Facebook profile.

ZDnet.com says that the scams goal is more than just gaining traffic, it is also how they earn money. They get a commission for every survey that is completed, every product bought or every account that is compromised. They can also spread and obtain personal information.

Sophos.com advises that if a user clicks on the link it is a good idea to "remove offending messages, photos and "likes" from your account, check that you have not authorized a rogue app to access your account (from where it could steal information or post without asking your permission), revoke any rogue app's publishing rights and report it as spam to Facebook."

As a general, it's a good idea never to click on everything Facebook friends might share on their walls, because it could be a scam.

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