Christmas gifts: Making Money Online Scams

Job Hunter Scams

These types of scams targeting job hunters and attempts to gain access to personal information such as bank account or social security numbers and sometimes even ask for a fee in order to be registered for the job. This is one of the most common type of scams today with more and more people loosing jobs and it is getting difficult to get new jobs.

Debt Relief and Settlement Services

These services often charge fees and leave the consumer in even more debt. It is estimated by the Better Business Bureaus that these type of services increased by approximately 30 percent in 2010.

Work from Home Schemes

How low is a Facebook scammer prepared to go? Here's a pretty sick rogue application that we've seen affecting some users of the world's most popular social network, leading to the all too familiar money-making survey scam at the end.

OMG she is so busted!! Dad catches Daughter on Webcam!

Hmm. It would be nice to think that no-one would be interested in clicking on a link like that. But human nature being what it is, some folks (guys in particular I would guess) might be tempted to find out more and find they aren't able to show some restraint.

So, what does happen if you click on the link?

First thing you'll see is this splash screen (I've used some pixelation to protect the innocent):

If you are still tempted to click further, you'll be asked by a rogue Facebook application to grant permission for it to be able to post to your wall.

By the way, it's not just your personal Facebook page that the app will be able to post updates to - it will also be able to publish to any pages you might be responsible for, which could prove highly damage if you administer a Facebook page for your firm.

So, after all this, do you get to see the video?

Nope. Instead, you'll be greeted by a survey. And this survey makes money for the scammers behind the scheme as they earn commission for every survey completed.

Worse still, your Facebook account has already been abused by the rogue application which has posted a message about the dad catching his daughter stripping on a webcam for all of your Facebook friends to see.

Wow she got caught so dirty.

Busted!! Dad Catches Daughter on Webcam!

Do not watch unless 18+

Content is graphic. Watch at your own risk!

In this way the scam spreads virally, attempting to earn as much money as possible for the survey scammers.

I know there will be people out there who feel that anyone who clicks on links like this deserve everything they get, but that doesn't mean the rest of us should be bombarded by spammy messages on Facebook just because some of our online friends have turned out to be a littel bit seedy.

We've seen cybercriminals use grubby themes like this to spread their attacks, and no doubt we'll see them again. Human nature isn't going to change and people will carry on clicking on them unless they're educated about the threats. Of course, it wouldn't do any harm if Facebook could work a little harder at preventing scams like this occurring in the first place.

If you have been hit by scams like this on Facebook, and are struggling to clean-up your profile, here's a YouTube video I made which describes what steps you need to take:

(Enjoy this video? You can check out more on the SophosLabs YouTube channel and subscribe if you like)

Make sure that you keep informed about the latest scams spreading fast across Facebook and other internet attacks. Join the Sophos page on Facebook, where over 60,000 people regularly share information on threats and discuss the latest security news.

bench craft company sales

Christmas gifts

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Making Money Online Scams

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

NBC Nightly <b>News</b> Report on Toomer's Poisoning - Track Em Tigers

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Drunk Dialing FAIL - Epic Fail Funny Videos and <b>...</b>

Why is Fox <b>News</b> Trashing Ron Paul ? | The Big Picture

No comments:

Post a Comment