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Tag Archives: Facebook

Latest Facebook Scams for week ending 1/27/12

facebook  As always, Tech Geek and More would like to thank our friends over at (LINK) Facecrooks.com (http://facecrooks NULL.com/) for the following information. Here are the latest scams seen over the past week on Facebook.

 

(LINK) THIS WEEK ONLY! $100 Applebee’s Gift Card Giveaway! – Facebook Scam (http://facecrooks NULL.com/Scam-Watch/this-week-only-100-applebees-gift-card-giveaway-facebook-scam NULL.html)

Clicking the link on the Facebook wall post takes you to the following page designed to look like Facebook:

The scammers are hoping that users will think this is a Facebook promotion. If you look closely, you will see that you are on an external website designed to look like Facebook. This is a favorite trick of the scammers. If you ‘Click Here To Begin!’ the following screen loads:

The end game here is a rogue browser plugin. As with Facebook applications, only install plugins / browser extensions from trusted sources. Based on what we have seen so far, this one doesn’t fit the bill. Installing the plugin leaves your system totally vulnerable to the developer. Similar scams have been known to pack malware and viruses. Installing the plugin is definitely not worth the risk to your system. We decided to stop here and advise you to do the same.

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Some of the Latest Facebook Scams (As of 1/23/12)

facebook     In a continuing effort of keeping everyone informed, here are some of the more interesting Scams happening on Facebook.  The information comes courtesy of the Tech Geek and More friends over at (LINK) Facecrooks.com (http://facecrooks NULL.com/).

(LINK) Hackers Impersonate Security Team on Facebook (http://facecrooks NULL.com/Scam-Watch/hackers-impersonate-security-team-on-facebook NULL.html) – Facebook Scam

In a rather ironic twist of events, hackers are impersonating the Facebook Security Team on the social network. Their modus operandi is simple, ingenious, and one we have warned about several times in the past.

The message reads:

“Last Warning: Your Facebook account will be turned off because someone has reported you. Please do re-confirm your account security by: (link)”

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Some of the Latest Facebook Scams (As of 1/13/12)

facebook In a continuing effort of keeping everyone informed, here are some of the more interesting Scams happening on Facebook. The information comes courtesy of the Tech Geek and More friends over at (LINK) Facecrooks.com (http://facecrooks NULL.com/).

(LINK) GUY TOUCHES 1000 BOOBS!!! – Facebook Scam (http://facecrooks NULL.com/Scam-Watch/guy-touches-1000-boobs-facebook-scam NULL.html)

With the headline of “Yo! hahaha can happen to anyone! GUY TOUCHES 1000 BOOBS!!! This scam is part of a growing trend of scammers using Flickr to peddle their malicious links. This is probably done to bypass Facebook’s filters.

Continue reading →

Another Facebook Scam – $100 Texas Roadhouse Gift Card

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     Scams seem to be a daily event on Facebook.  Just ran into another scam on Facebook today, this one posted (like usual) on the wall of someone in my friends list.  The person in question didn’t even realize the post was there.  The post which showed a message of “I love chipotle” was for a $100 Texas Roadhouse Card.

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When trying to figure out if something is a scam, always look for the small mistakes. Scammers don’t usually go to any of the places they talk about or they would know better, in this case Chipotle and Texas Roadhouse are not the same place, they don’t even serve the same type of food. Continue reading →

Beware of ‘Remove Facebook Timeline’ Scams (Via Facecrooks.com)

facebook The following scam alert post is courtesy of our friends at (LINK)Facecrooks.com (http://facecrooks NULL.com/Scam-Watch/beware-of-remove-facebook-timeline-scams NULL.html). For the latest information concerning Facebook scams, Tech Geek and More recommends visiting (LINK) Facecrooks (http://facecrooks NULL.com). (Thanks to Facecrooks for allowing the repost) Originally posted – January 4, 2012

When new Facebook features are added, scammers use the chaos, confusion and disdain to take advantage of unsuspecting users. The most recent instance involved the Facebook Ticker. There are ways to remove the Ticker by using browser extensions; however, there is no such fix for the Facebook Timeline.

Inside Facebook (http://networkedblogs NULL.com/sjNEW)reported the following just yesterday:

“Despite Facebook’s efforts to educate users about the new profile, some people have misconceptions that make them susceptible to scams like these. We have found 16 Timeline-related scam pages, which have collectively gained more than 71,000 likes. The largest, with nearly 19,000 likes, has been around for at least two weeks. These pages are among the top search results when searching Facebook for “timeline.”

There are several Facebook Pages, rogue applications and rogue browser extensions claiming to show you how to remove the Timeline from your profile. Just doing a quick search via the Facebook Search bar revealed the following:

(http://facecrooks NULL.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/remove-timeline NULL.jpg)

Continue reading →

Alert: Beware of Facebook Freebies! (Post via Facecrooks.com)

The following post comes from (LINK) Facecrooks.com (http://facecrooks NULL.com/Scam-Watch/beware-of-facebook-freebies NULL.html). They are a great resource for Facebook information. (Thanks to Facecrooks for allowing the repost)

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no_scam-150x150   Very few words can capture one’s attention more than the word ‘FREE.’ You would think that the constant use and overuse by marketers worldwide would eventually desensitize us to its power, but such is not the case. Just seeing the word on a page, in an online advertisement, or hearing it on the television or the radio is enough for the average person to stop and take notice.

Facebook scammers and spammers have enjoyed great success with the lure of false promises. At any given moment, you don’t have to look very hard to find the following “Free” offers or scams on Facebook:

  1. Free iPads, iPhones, Personal Computers or Tablets
  2. Free Gift Cards & Vouchers
  3. Free Airline Ticket Offers
  4. Free Facebook Credits
  5. Free Facebook Events
  6. Free Virtual & Game Items

99% of the time, the end game encountered by unsuspecting users is either a survey scam or a marketing gimmick where you have to complete several ‘special’, ‘reward’ or ‘bonus’ offers to qualify for the promotion. These offers often cost real money, and we have yet to hear of a case where the participant actually received anything after jumping through all of the hoops. (if you know of someone that has, please have them send us an email with the details – info@facecrooks.com (info null@null facecrooks NULL.com))

What’s in it for the scammers?

So why do the scam creators go through all of the trouble? If there is a word more powerful than ‘FREE,” it could be ‘MONEY.’ The more benign scams are run by marketing companies that get paid a commission for each survey completed or offer accepted. Users often submit their name, date of birth, home address, email address and phone number while signing up for the ‘special’ offers. As you can imagine, this is a treasure trove of data for unscrupulous marketers and identity thieves.

Another danger with survey scams is the potential for malware infections. Users are often tricked into downloading what they think are games, browser plug-ins or other files. If their system isn’t protected, then they could unknowingly install a virus, keylogger, or all sorts of other malware.

How can you protect yourself from these scams?

  1. The first step is to be aware that scams like this are prevalent on Facebook. If you have the mindset that most of the ‘free’ offers you encounter are bogus, then you’ll be a step ahead of the game.
  1. Think before you Click! If the offer sounds too good to be true, then don’t click that link! There is no way a company can afford to give every Facebook user a $25.00, $50.00 or $100.00 gift card. A little common sense here tells you that something is way off base.
  1. If the offer being presented sounds like it could be legitimate, then contact the company to verify the promotion. Visit their website or contact them on the telephone. This will only take a few moments and could save you a lot of trouble down the road.

As the old saying goes, “if it sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.” No where are these words of wisdom more applicable than on Facebook!

Have you Overlooked your ‘Other’ Facebook Messages? (Via Facecrooks.com)

The following post comes from (LINK) Facecrooks (http://facecrooks NULL.com/). Facecrooks considers itself “THE Social Media Watchdog!” From their site -

     “Our mission is to monitor and chronicle the seedy, unsavory and silly side of social media. We provide current news, educational resources and alerts on social media privacy, safety and scams”.

     The following post cover a Facebook feature that unless you are paying attention, you could miss.  A 2nd inbox in Facebook for messages, where some of your messages could be ending up. The post was originally posted on (link) Facecrooks (http://facecrooks NULL.com/Internet-Safety-Privacy/have-you-overlooked-your-other-facebook-messages NULL.html), in their Internet Safety and Privacy section.

(http://facecrooks NULL.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/other_messages NULL.jpg)Mashable (http://mashable NULL.com/2011/12/09/facebook-hidden-messages/)revealed yesterday that many Facebook users have been unaware of the “Other” inbox located beneath the standard ‘Messages’ tab on Facebook.

Facebook, in its infinite wisdom, created this folder to automatically sort the messages you receive that they deem to be spam or not important due to a lack of connections to you. They committed a similar act earlier this year when ‘Smart Lists’ were introduced. Users were none too pleased to find that Facebook had added friends to certain lists based on their previous interactions and relationships.

I checked my folder and was pleased to find that the only thing I had missed were messages from Facebook Pages that I have ‘liked.’ I’ve missed a few webinar invites and event notifications. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but it would have been nice to know the ‘other’ tab exists.

This whole incident came to light when a Slate (http://www NULL.slate NULL.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/12/facebook_s_other_messages_mail_you_are_probably_missing NULL.2 NULL.html) reporter received a message from someone who found her lost laptop. Due to the fact that there was no connection between the two Facebook users, the message was sorted to the ‘Other’ inbox. Of course she was outraged that she didn’t receive the message in a timely manner. Upon further investigation, she discovered that both she and her colleagues had missed other important messages.

So, what can you do to make sure something like this doesn’t happen to you in the future? To make a long story short, the only remedy is to check the ‘Other’ message tab often. You can’t set up your account to receive email notifications for messages sorted to this Social Inbox.

It’s really easy to check to see if you have missed any important messages. Just Click the ‘Messages’ link located under “Favorites”. (located in the left column of your Facebook page) – this will reveal the ‘Other’ tab.

Facebook’s logic and reasoning for this behavior makes sense, it would just be nice if they did a better job of communicating subtle nuances of features to their users.

Facebook: Charge to format. Now able to select Sort type

facebook  Facebook has start rolling out another change to the layout. For once, Facebook is listening to complaints and bring back the option of being able to sort your FB posts by “Recent Stories First”.  Ever since the last change in layout that took away that feature for the “Highlighted Stories” format (where FB shows you what it thinks you want to see on top), the number 1 grip has been wanting to get the sort back.

If you look on the top right, just above your News Feed posts, you will see a (small) message that says  “SORT: HIGHLIGHTED STORIES FIRST”. If you click there you will see a choice for either recent stores or highlighted stories.  So those who like the new sort format, you aren’t loosing your choice. (This is what FB should have done from the start).

 

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So what do the choices really mean?

Recent Stories First:

  • Stories will appear in the order they were posted. Highlighted stories will be marked with a blue corner.

Highlighted Stories First:

  • Highlighted stories you haven’t seen yet will appear at the top of your News Feed. (If you don’t see highlighted stories, it’s because there aren’t any new highlighted stories since your last visit.)

If you have the choice on your page yet, keep checking as it seems this is being rolled out in parts to users.

Facebook: Posts from 3rd party apps not appearing on your page? Here is one possible reason why.

facebook   Like everyone else, I have a “connected” life. One of the most common things I do on a daily basis is post from my phone apps to Facebook.  What I have noticed in the past couple of days is that anything I would post from 3rd party apps (Like Foursquare, Wordbooker, Cardio Trainer, etc.) stopped appearing on my News Feed page in Facebook. If I checked my profile I would see the posts, but they would be listed as “Only Me” in the post setting.

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I was baffled at 1st, as I know I hadn’t made any changes to my settings, and none of the 3rd party apps on my phone had recently been updated.  So I started poking around and found the answer.  It seems Facebook made a change in Account Settings –> Apps , that at least I (and a few others who have also asked about this issue) didn’t know.  Surprise Facebook made changes to account settings (They wouldn’t never do that, I say with sarcasm). 

To fix the setting to allow your 3rd party apps to show again in your News Feed, check / adjust the following setting

1) From the top right of Facebook select “down” arrow –> followed by Account Settings

 

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2) Once you reach Account Settings –> select Apps (on left) –> then select edit on the app you want to fix (on right)

 

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3) Once you get to the App Settings area –> scroll to the very bottom of the page (this is why you could miss it, as on some apps there is a lot of scrolling). At the bottom you will see a section called “App activity privacy” (On left). The change you will need is on the right –> this is where you can select who will get to see your post from that 3rd party app.

 

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In my case the setting for all my apps was set to Custom –> Only me.  Unfortunately this setting is per 3rd party app, so you will have to go through them 1 by 1.  This however solves the mystery of the 3rd party apps not showing.

**Note (Reminder) – These are security settings, if you are looking at them, this would also be a good time to delete apps that shouldn’t be on your profile (either because you don’t use them anymore or don’t know what they are). In addition, you may not want all 3rd party apps to post to Facebook.  Review each app carefully before changing its setting to make sure what it does.

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