Just a quick heads up about a scam that is doing the rounds on Facebook currently. This one is mainly aimed at our readers in the USA and Canada, but given the global nature of social networking, it won’t be long before this thing spreads.
This particular phishing scam preys on our love of coffee. An offer claiming to be from Tim Hortons, a predominantly Canadian coffee franchise, entices Facebook users to ‘Like’ a page and share it with their friends in exchange for a free cup of jo. The scam has since spread to include Starbucks, so you can see how easily this may proliferate itself throughout the world.
The malicious cycle of ‘likejacking‘ will often see users having to submit email addresses and other sensitive information to obtain whatever rewards are being touted, and in some cases people will end up installing a rogue Facebook application. The problem with these sorts of scams is that they spread across networks so quickly. Your friends see that you have liked a link, they then believe it to be trustworthy, and the cycle propagates itself further.
If you see any links or pages that are offering you goods or services in exchange for ‘Liking’ or sharing a page, then be sure to proceed with caution and don’t give any information to rogue companies. And if you do discover that you have become prey to this, or any other scam, then it’s highly advisable to change any passwords that you have linked to your Facebook account or login email address.
U need to check it out people