...Scam Alert... Dont Take the Bait! Shocking ALS Videos Lead to Malware Nothing inspires scammers like the headlines. Con artists are always finding ways to cash in on breaking trends. This week, watch out for teasers on social media promoting fake ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos. How the Scam Works: You are on Facebook, and a news item catches your attention. It appears to be a teaser for a shocking video. Tragic: Ice Bucket Challenge kills girl, reads the headline. You click the link, thinking it leads to a video site. Instead, a pop up appears prompting you to update your video player. But when you click OK, you arent getting a new version of some software. You are really downloading malware. Like all scams, this has many variations. Not all fake videos lead to viruses. Some link to spammy websites, which may prompt you to take a survey before viewing the video. In the worst case, sharing your information can open you up to identity theft. More likely, your information will end up getting sold to spammers. This scam is also not limited to Facebook. Watch out for similar links posted on Twitter, through other social media or sent by email. Tips to Protect Yourself From Click Bait Scams: Take the following steps to protect yourself and others from scam links shared through email and social media: Dont take the bait. Stay away from promotions of exclusive, shocking or sensational footage. If it sounds too outlandish to be true, it is probably a scam. Hover over a link to see its true destination. Before you click, mouse over the link to see where it will take you. Dont click on links leading to unfamiliar websites. Dont trust your friends taste online. It might not actually be them liking or sharing scam links to photos. Their account may have been hacked. But it may also be clickjacking, a technique that scammers use to trick you into clicking something that you wouldnt otherwise (especially the Facebook Like button). On Facebook, report scam posts and other suspicious activity by following these instructions. On Twitter, if another user is sending you links to malware or other spam, report it to Twitter by following these instructions. From Us at the Valle Verde Group, LLC have a safe a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 19:26:30 +0000
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