A new twist on the all too familiar Facebook Profile Viewer scam is currently being spammed out to users via email. The screenshot below shows an actual spam message sent to us by a reader:
The email uses a typical scam message we have seen in the past in similar scams:
From [Facebook News] Now You Can Check:
“Start checking who has viewed your facebook profile today! (Limited Time)”
Scam Type: Profile Viewer
Trending: January 2013
Why it’s a Scam:
Clicking the scam link takes you directly to a URL hosted on Dropbox:
Normally, scam messages like this trick users into installing rogue Facebook applications and ultimately redirect to a survey scam. Here, the scammers are going straight for the cold hard cash (or credit card details)!
It’s important to remember that anything offering to show you who has viewed or visited your profile is certain to be a scam. Facebook doesn’t allow developers access to the data required to create such apps or extensions. In fact, here is Facebook’s own help topic on the subject:
Can I know who’s viewing my profile (timeline) or how often it’s being viewed?
How to Deal with the Scam:
If you did make the mistake of submitting your credit card information to the scam site, then you need to contact your financial institution immediately!
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 page on Facebook to be kept informed of the latest security issues.
Recommended Resources
DoNotTrackMe protects your privacy by blocking online tracking. Abine – Online Privacy Starts Here.
BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams on Facebook.
PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.
