'Teenage Mom Jailed' Scam Slowly Spreading Across Facebook

by Terrence O'Brien on December 27, 2010 at 05:10 PM

It may be the holiday season, but scammers don't take vacations. If you spot a post in your Facebook news feed about a teenage mother being jailed for posting a "disgusting photo" of her baby, don't click on it. The link leads to a Blogspot page that asks you to 'Like' the site and share the link with your Facebook friends in order to view the story. Of course, this is just the first of many hurdles you'll be asked to clear, none of which actually lead to the supposedly "disgusting photo." After clicking to share the story and posting it to your Wall, you'll be asked to click on "3 different ADD's." (No scam is complete without some strange misspelling.) You'll then be presented with nine different links for various affiliate programs that, if you sign up for the offers, will give the scammer a commission.

At the end of all this, there are no photos and there's no news story; you've simply spammed your Facebook friends, and helped spread the scammer's ploy. Unlike many other scams, though, this one actually asks you to confirm your decision to post the link to your Wall before it hijacks your Wall. (That indicates to us that the scam is not the work of a serious professional, and is likely the reason it's been slow to spread.) As usual, just be wary of any links posted on Facebook, especially those relating to "disgusting" photos of babies, or otherwise.

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Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

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Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

The increasing flood of e-mail hitting your inbox can lower the guard of even the most cautious person. In the rush to keep up with important notes, it's easier than ever to fall prey to the scam artists and identity thieves who lurk online.

E-mail scams and phishing attempts evolve constantly, hoping to take advantage of the latest trends and current events. Although the e-mails change, the people behind them inadvertently send up the same warning signs again and again. We dug through mountains of spam to find the most prevailing trends. We've collected some actual scam e-mails and highlighted the warning signs to help you spot a hustle the next time one lands in your inbox.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

1. Requests for personal information
No legitimate organization will ask for your social security, bank account or PIN number via e-mail – and none will include a link, sending you to a form to enter it. No matter how authentic these emails may look, ignore 'em.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

2. Watch for typos or spelling mistakes
Scam artists are street smart, but many flunked basic grammar (or barely speak English). Look for mistakes like inappropriate hyphens or confusing "your" and "you're." If the note has multiple typos or grammatical errors, odds are it's not legitimate.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

3. Clickable Web links in e-mails
Don't trust links to Web sites in e-mails. What might look like a legitimate address is often linked to a third-party site that looks official, but is actually run by thieves and scammers. These are the fast track to identity and financial theft.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

4. 'Market research' or surveys that ask you for personal information.
Disguising scam e-mails as marketing is a classic ploy. You'll be asked to fill out a survey or enter a contest – requiring you to give personal information or "log on" to your account. Once you've done so, the scammers can use it themselves.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

5. Stock tips from random people or companies
Got a "hot stock tip" via e-mail? It's probably a "pump and dump" scheme. The sender already owns shares – and when you and others act on the "tip," the stock price soars and he sells fast – leaving you with virtually worthless shares.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

6. Attachments in e-mails from anyone you don't know
It should be common sense, but just in case, we'll remind you again: Don't open an attachment from someone you don't know – even if it appears to be your bank or credit card company. It's almost always a virus or spyware meant to steal your personal information.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

7. Wordless e-mails
Some legitimate looking "e-mails" are actually just images. The danger with these is that clicking anywhere in the body takes you to a suspect Web site – where you may be fooled into entering personal information, or the scammer may slip spyware onto your machine.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

8. Outdated information
Some scammers like to pose as technical- or customer support from a company you associate with – but fail to keep up with current events. For example, in the example above, the senders forgot that Earthlink bought Mindspring in 2000.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

9. Red-flag phrases
If you see the phrases "verify your account," "you have won the lottery" or "if you don't respond within XX hours, your account will be closed," it's a scam – every time. Hit the delete button and don't look back.

Ways to Spot E-mail Scams

Tags: facebook, facebook scam, FacebookScam, scam, security, top, web

Comments

E. MartinezDec 29th 2010 5:19PM

Highest Ranked

With all the "brilliant" minds over at FB, you would think we, the users, wouldn't have to worry about crap like this, right?! But nope, it continues!

Before anyone replies with a smart ass comment, let me make this clear.... I DON'T click on that crap. My gripe is with FB and their inability to stop it from the get go! With most of these scams, I don't even have to click on it in order to be affected, hence, my gripe!! Just pointing out the obvi.....

Dislike

PamDec 30th 2010 3:04AM

Neutral

I can't blame Facebook for these scams any more than I can blame Capital One or PayPal or Yahoo. If someone wants to scam others, that person will do it. I do appreciate the tips to identify scam e-mails. I have received many of these and delete w/o reading. However I do have fun with the Nigerian banker. I'm still waiting for my millions!!

KyleJan 5th 2011 3:59PM

Just one of many, many other scams like it on FB.

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