**Note: Dr. Oz does not endorse these products. The scammers are fraudulently using his name and likeness.

Scam Message:

Random Name and friends, finally a product that works! Lately I have been using this new weight-loss product I saw on Dr-Oz. I am already 25 pounds lighter! I got them from here

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.

This scam uses several scam messages. Some reference Dr. Oz and some do not. We checked Dr. Oz’s website and of course, we could find no endorsement of this product. (not that we were surprised – scammers often make false claims to victimize others)

It also appears that users are being tagged in photos of Dr. Oz, and these photos contain a link to the scam site.

Alternate Messages:

Hey everyone, FINALLY! A solution that worked. I found this new weight loss product last month watching TV. I have already lost a bunch of weight I cant believe it! This is where I got it from check it out

Hey friends, finally a product that works! Lately I have been taking this new weight-loss product I saw on TV. I am already 25 pounds lighter! I got them here

Random Name and friends, finally something that works! Lately I have been taking this new weight-loss product I saw on Dr Oz. I am already 24 pounds lighter! I got them from here

Trending: February 2012

Why it’s a Scam:

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

**This scam uses multiple domains and scam messages.**

This page is engineered to look like a news site, and serves as an infomercial for an Acai berry diet plan. 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 outrageously priced diet pills. 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.

Another concern about the offer that is worth mentioning is the product billing page shown below:

This is not a secure site. You should never, ever enter credit card details or other sensitive information unless you see, “https:” at the beginning of the web address.

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 has likely been hacked, and they need to change their Facebook password ASAP. We also recommend running a full system scan of your computer with an anti-virus product. 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

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Recommended Resources

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

PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.

Roboform is a 5 Star, award winning password manager. Reduce all passwords to just one, and automatically login to websites.