Scam Signature Message:

U.S. Attacks Iran and Saudi Arabia. F*** 🙁 The Begin of World War 3?

Trending: February 2012

Scam Type: Malware, Virus

Why it’s a Scam:

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

The scammers are hoping that users will think this is a legitimate news site. Always double check the web address any time you click on an external link. And just because it has “CNN” in the address doesn’t mean it is a genuine CNN site.

The end game here is a malware attack. Once you press play, you are prompted to update your flash player and and executable file is presented. Never download and install anything with a “.exe” extension unless you are 100% sure of the site and file in question.

Installing the malware leaves your system totally vulnerable to the developer.  We decided to stop here and advise you to do the same.

How to Deal with the Scam:

If you follow the scam through to its completion, then you are likely spreading the very same scam message to your friends. They will need to remove the scam message by clicking the small “X” located in the top right hand corner of the post on their wall. You also need to run a complete system scan with an updated anti-virus product on your machine to remove the infection from your system.

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. Also check out:

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

How to spot a Facebook Survey Scam

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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.