[ALERT] Have you heard of HCG diet? AMAZING AND IT WORKS, I lost 2lbs in the last 3 days

Scam Signature Message: Have you heard of HCG diet? AMAZING AND IT WORKS, I lost 2lbs in the last 3 days

hcg_wall
If you see this on a friend’s Newsfeed, or if it is posted directly to your wall, then there is a good possibility that your friend has been hacked or has a rogue Facebook application installed. We have seen this posting several times. There is most always a disclaimer from the Facebook account doing the posting claiming that they didn’t post it, and they don’t know how it happened.

Alternative Message: 

if you want to lose weight you should try HCG! I’ve been doing it for 13 days and already lost over a stone… it’s amazing

I lost 20 pounds in just 3 weeks all thanks to HCG! Check it out

I’ve lost over a stone in just 2 weeks all thanks to HCG! Check it out

HCG Drops for Healthy Fast Weight Loss!

Trending: May 2011-February 2012

Why it’s a Scam:

Once you click on the Wall link, you are taken to the page below:

hcg_main

**This scam uses multiple domains and the page may vary somewhat.**

This page is engineered to look like a news site, and serves as an infomercial for HCG Ultra drops. It appears the scammers are taking control of user accounts, and then spamming this message to their friends. The goal here is to use the trust you have in your friend’s endorsement and purchase the diet drops. We can’t speak to the legitimacy of the product, but considering the marketing methods employed we recommend you steer clear of this product. You could likely find similar products far cheaper at a grocery or health food store.

How to Deal with the Scam:

If you see this posted on your friend’s Wall, then try to contact them immediately and let them know that their Facebook account could be compromised. Changing your Facebook password often stops the scam messages from posting to your account. You can refer them to the following posts on what they should do next:

Four things you need to do if your Facebook account gets hacked

How to protect your Facebook account from Rogue Applications

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 stay informed of the latest security issues. Also check out:

Your Ultimate Guide to Facebook Scams and How to Deal with Them

BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams and malware.

[SCAM ALERT] NEW: Introducing Facebook Digits! Previous post [SCAM ALERT] NEW: Introducing Facebook Digits! Facecrooks Weekly Roundup - May 23, 2011 Next post Facecrooks Weekly Roundup - May 23, 2011