The Dangers of Social Media Scams

Scammers will use many different techniques to try to lure you into falling for their traps.   Impersonating victims or family members of a tragic event, selling souvenirs or memorabilia while claiming the proceeds go to charity, or posting photos and videos of the fake event are just a few ways that they target their victims. The motives are always the same: scammers try to exploit these stories for any kind of financial gain possible.

You may have seen a fake videos or news stories circulating on social media sites after an extremely newsworthy event. The post would state that in order to view the content, the user needs to share the content. Once the user shares the video, they are taken to a page where they are asked to complete a survey before viewing. Seems harmless enough, right? Wrong. The survey will gather sensitive personal information that can be used in phishing attacks. In addition to collecting sensitive data, the scammers will also earn money per completed survey and in turn, will sell that information to other scammers.

There are many variations of these types of scams, and it is not always a survey. Users will try to view the video, and are taken to a page stating that they need to download a plug-in in order to view the video correctly. This “plug-in” is malware in disguise, usually a form of spyware that is then installed on the user’s computer that will track and collect information such as bank accounts, ID numbers and anything else that can be used in attempting identity theft.

There are other objectives, which include trying to install malware on your computer, Sometimes these links will redirect you to adult websites or spam sites in an attempt to boost web traffic. These links could also install malicious Facebook applications that can steal your personal data without you even knowing..

Be sceptical. If you see content on your feed, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is valid. People you know may have fallen victim to the scam and are not aware of it and scammers using click-jacking could have hijacked their account. This could happen to you too.

Always check the link before clicking. Hover over the link or look directly below the link itself on the Facebook post where it shows the referring website’s URL. Only visit known and trusted websites.

Be very suspicious when there is a call to action before being able to view the content. Actions such as having to share the media before viewing are particularly the ones to look out for. Requests to take a survey or download additional software are huge red flags.