It’s a bad time to be a free loader or graphic violence voyeur on Facebook. Two new scams promising, respectively, a free iPhone6 and a video of a woman being killed by her husband are making the social media rounds and leaving anyone who clicks with a fresh batch of malware on their computer, or worse. Anyhow, here’s what you need to look out for:
1. No, you’re not getting a free iPhone 6
This scam is asking Facebook users to “like” their page, fill out a survey and then share a link to their site with your friends to get a shiny, new, Pop Tart-sized iPhone 6. It’s that sharing component that is enabling it to spread across news feeds.
According to Hoax-Slayer.com, “Some of the available surveys want you to provide your mobile phone number, ostensibly to go in the draw for extra prizes or offers. But by submitting your number, you will actually be subscribing to a very expensive text-messaging “service” that will charge you several dollars every time it sends you a message.”
So, no new iPhone then? No. No new iPhone. But you will be revealing your personal information, perhaps some money and will have probably earned the wrath of any friends you spammed into signing up for the same scam.
2. No, there’s no video of an unspeakably violent crime for you to watch
The short version? If you see this or anything resembling it on Facebook or elsewhere online, do not click it. And not just because you’re above watching someone else’s alleged death.
The longer version? If you absolutely insist on clicking anyway, you’ll be taken to a third-party site that is dressed up to look like it’s affiliated with Facebook. There will be convincing comments there left by other “viewers” about how shocking the video is and that you must click it and that you won’t believe your eyes and blah, blah, blah, big gigantic scam.
And if you still insist on clicking the actual video, you’ll be prompted to first share the video with your friends and install a plugin before being allowed to watch it. This is where the malware comes in, as the blog Hot For Security explains: “When clicking on the install button, users end up downloading an executable file on their computers, which drops adware or malicious code, depending on their luck.”
The blog says more than 4,000 people have already fallen for the scam. But at least now we know you won’t be number 4,001.
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