Scams and hoaxes often surface after Facebook announces changes to the site. The fear, uncertainty and doubt created by the launch of new features or controls give scammers a great opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
We have seen several “Facebook is going to be charging” hoaxes in the past. Here is the latest:
IT IS OFFICIAL. IT WAS EVEN ON THE NEWS. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING DUE TO THE NEW PROFILE CHANGES. IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON, IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF YOU DO NOT PAY.
Alternate Message:
FACE BOOK JUST RELEASED THEIR PRICE GRID FOR MEMBERSHIP. $9.99 PER MONTH FOR GOLD MEMBER SERVICES, $6.99 PER MONTH FOR SILVER MEMBER SERVICES, $3.99 PER MONTH FOR BRONZE MEMBER SERVICES, FREE IF YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WHEN YOU SIGN ON TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE PROMPTED FOR PAYMENT INFO…IT IS OFFICIAL IT WAS EVEN ON THE NEWS. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING DUE TO THE NEW PROFILE CHANGES. IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF YOU DO NO PAY…
Facebook isn’t going to charge for using their site, now or ever. They even say so on the Facebook home page:
Always take a moment to verify rumors and speculation. People usually mean well, but it helps no one to willingly take part in viral Facebook hoaxes.
If you or your Facebook friends are falling for tricks like this, it’s time to get yourself informed of the latest threats. Be sure to join the Facecrooks community of almost 80,000 fans on Facebook to be kept informed of the latest security issues.
BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams and malware.
