Facebook To Begin Charging Users $2.99 / Month'- Totally BULLSHIT!

Facebook going to charge users per month?? Nobody expected such a news story this week, but it seems that Facebook will No longer be a Free Service, according to reports claimed by the National Report, "Facebook To Begin Charging Users $2.99/mo Starting November 1st", which turns out fake. Thank God !!

This new report is circulating via social media which claims that the social networking giant will begin charging charging $2.99 (€2.33) per month for each user starting November 1, 2014 in an effort to fight against the rising costs the company is facing.

Of course, the claims are simply untrue. Facebook has not announced any such plans to begin charging its users a monthly fee for access to the regular site services that has more than 1.3 billion monthly users.

NICELY FRAMED HOAX

The report comes via the 'satirical' fake-news website, which is a complete Hoax, just like many similar 'Facebook to start charging' hoaxes before it. But What make it different from those other hoaxes?? It’s the way it framed so nicely that it acquired everybody's attention on the the Internet.

“At a press conference this morning, Facebook rolled out their monthly service plan which begins November 1st of this year. The social media giant says they will start charging members $2.99/mo to use the services that the site has to offer,” reads the fake news report.

Not just this, the fake-news article also quoted some fake statements from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, which made it even more convincing.

“After thinking long and hard about this decision, at the end of the day, we were forced to add this monthly fee,” said Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “If we don't do something about our rising costs now, Facebook could cease to exist in the near future.”

FACEBOOK IS FREE AND ALWAYS WILL BE

National Report considers itself as Satirical, as in its disclaimer, the site mentioned that it is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, sometimes in semi-real or wholly fictitious ways. Although many are confused about this because there are so many fake news that are making their way out of the site and are believed to be true.

The site also reads that every news article on their website is fiction and fake news, which do not relate with the truth in any way. But, the fact that the site presents their news in a manner similar to that of other legitimate news websites makes things much more difficult to distinguish.

For those who believe this story to be true are informed, regardless of all claims that Facebook is about to start charging, that these claims are totally nonsense. Facebook isn’t charging its users for their services, and according to their own homepage, it says, 'It's free and always will be'.

Always take a while to verify these kind of sensational claims regarding Facebook or any other online services. also, don't spread any misinformation and junk with your Facebook friends, before confirming the whole thing.

iPhone 6 Launches Millions of Scam Messages

The new iPhone 6 has gone on sale around the world, sparking long lines and campouts, and a whole lot of buzz. Unsurprisingly, internet scammers quickly took advantage of the frenzy to distribute their wares.

Immediately following the unveiling of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus, scammers accordingly began circulating email and web scams attempting to capitalize on its popularity. The gambits however take many forms.

For instance, Hoax-Slayer uncovered a bogus Facebook competition offering the ability to “win a new iPhone 6 by carrying out three easy steps.” To get a chance to win, the site claims that users must first like the site's Facebook Page and then further promote the site by sharing a link with Facebook friends. They are then instructed to go to a second page on the site to download a ‘Participation Application.’ But, a pop-up window will direct users to a list of links that open third-party survey websites.

And here’s where the real malicious activity starts: many of these ask users to submit their mobile number, which, in turn, will subscribe them to a premium SMS service that charges several dollars every time the scammers send the victim a message.

Others collect names, addresses and phone details, which can be used for a variety of nuisance campaigns.

“Meanwhile, the scammer who created the fake promotion will earn a commission via a suspect affiliate marketing scheme each time you fill in a survey and provide your details,” Hoax-Slayer explained. “And, each time you return to the download page, the pop-up will inform you that the survey was not completed properly or there was a 'small error'. You will be urged to participate in yet another survey. But, no matter how many surveys you complete, you will still not get to download your 'application'.”

In one of the many other campaigns, spammers are using an iPhone 6 giveaway email to lure in potential victims; they are asked to follow instructions in the email to click on a link to, yet once again, a survey, but instead, an adware install will commence. Since Sept. 12, AppRiver researchers have seen nearly 1 million messages associated with this specific campaign.

“Adware is a form of software that is meant to generate revenue for its author by automatically displaying advertisements,” explained AppRiver researcher Troy Gill, in a blog. “Adware is not typically anything more than an annoyance but can often seriously infringe on users' privacy. This particular strain has a wide array of functionality and can make a victim’s web browsing experience fairly miserable.”

These types of scams, of course, also carry the possibility of malicious activity in the form of man-in-the-middle attacks, malware deployments and phishing.

“Though its presence is not secret, it is quite good at embedding itself into the victim’s system and can be quite difficult for the average user to remove,” Gill said. “Remember, advertisements promising you something for nothing are almost always too good to be true.”

Robin Williams goodbye video used as lure in social media scams

Within 48 hours of the news surrounding the death of actor and comedian Robin Williams, scammers honed in on the public’s interest and grief. There is currently a scam campaign circulating on Facebook claiming to be a goodbye video recorded by the actor just before his death.

Fake BBC news site with fake Robin Williams goodbye video

There is no video. Users that click on the link to the supposed video are taken to a fake BBC News website. As with many social scams, users are required to perform actions before they can view the content. In this case, users are instructed to share the video on Facebook before watching.

 Facebook share dialog with fake comments and shares

If a user clicks on the “Share on Facebook” button, they are prompted with a share dialog box. This box misleads users into believing this page has received millions of comments and shares but, actually, scammers have leveraged Facebook Open Graph metadata as a trick.  

Scam site asks users to install fake Facebook media plugin

After sharing the link to their Facebook friends, users won’t be presented with a video. Instead, they’ll be asked to install an application on their computer or to fill out a survey. Scammers operating these sites use affiliate programs to earn money for the completion of surveys and file downloads.

Symantec has alerted Facebook about this scam campaign and they are taking steps to block the offending URLs.

Over the years, scammers have used both real and fake celebrity deaths as a way to convince users to click on links and perform actions. From Amy Winehouse and Paul Walker to the fake deaths of Miley Cyrus and Will Smith, scammers are opportunistic and always looking for ways to capitalize.
 
Before you click on a link a friend may have shared on social media, follow these best practices:

• Be vigilant and skeptical when reading sensational stories on social media sites.
• Don’t install applications or do surveys in order to view gated content. It's a trick to put money in the pockets of scammers and your computer or device is at risk to malware.
• Visit trusted news sources for information. Instead of clicking on random links online, go directly to your trusted news source.
• Report suspicious content. Do your part by reporting these types of posts as spam.
  

Hoax: Apple is giving away macbooks

Received this on my IM from a friend. Sometimes I really question the AI of the bots. (click to enlarge)

Double checked on the sources:
http://techjost.com/2011/11/05/spam-alert-apple-is-giving-away-5000-macbooks-today-in-honor-of-him-steve-jobs/

Sometimes I just wanna strike up a proper conversation, so can't they be any cleverer?

Osama bin Laden spam invades Facebook

I guess the news about the death of Osama bin Laden is starting to reach everyone around the world. Every time something big as this happens, people get curious and start searching on the Internet.

Facebook ads are already spreading using videos of the death of Osama bin Laden as a trigger. On one Page we can see multiple users posting the same URL, with the following message:"Sweet! FREE Subway To Celebrate Osamas Death - 56 Left HURRY!" or "2 Southwest Plane Tickets for Free - 56 Left Hurry" and then a link to a short URL service (tiny.cc).


When you click the link, you will be redirected to a page, where it says that you need to post a message to get more instruction on how you can win.


If the user writes the message, it will post a new message on the user’s wall, to spread the message further, and then just redirect you to another page where you can win something else. The scheme of this scam is to keep redirecting you to pages where you have to enter information such as email, and eventually get money for all new users or clicks.


Please make sure that your computer is up to date with all the security patches, that your antivirus is updated and if you do click on the links from Facebook and other social media pages, make sure that you don’t give out any important information (username, passwords).

Since the bad guys seem to be taking advantage of this opportunity quite heavily, we expect to see more malicious code getting triggered by the death of Osama bin Laden.

Fake Anti-Virus Programs Hijacking Computers

Cyber criminals are becoming more aggressive in attempting to sell fake anti-virus programs known as rogueware. In addition they are now combining rogueware with ransomware, hijacking users' computers and making them useless until victims purchase fake anti-virus programs, according to a new report by PandaLabs.

The fake program that PandaLabs detected, called Total Security 2009, is being offered to victims for about $120. Victims can also buy "premium" tech support services for an additional $29. Users who pay the ransom receive a serial number that releases all files and executables, allowing them to work normally and recover their information.

The fake anti-virus, however remains on their systems. PandaLabs has published a list of serial numbers that victims can use to unlock their computers, along with a video explaining how the scam operates.

Previously, when computers were infected by this type of malware, users would usually see a series of warnings prompting them to buy a paid version of the programs. The new method of selling rogueware blocks users' attempts to run programs or open documents, falsely displaying a message informing them that all files on their computers are infected and the only solution is to buy fake anti-virus.

"Users are often infected unknowingly - in most cases through visiting hacked Web sites. Once a computer is infected, it is extremely difficult to eliminate the threat, even for those with a certain degree of technical knowledge," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs.

"Users are also prevented from using any type of detection or disinfection tool, as all programs are blocked. The only application that can be used is the Internet browser, conveniently allowing the victim to pay for the fake anti-virus. For this reason, on the PandaLabs blog, we have published the serial numbers required to unblock the computer if it has been hijacked. Users can then install genuine security software to scan the computer in-depth and eliminate all traces of this fake anti-virus."

Spammers piggyback on Swine Flu outbreak

Researchers at McAfee saw a spike in swine flu spam over the weekend. In just that short amount of time this particular brand of spam accounted for two percent of all spam.

As might be expected, the spam is pharmaceutical-centered, advertising drugs and providing links to online pharmacies. The spam originates from a network of compromised, "zombie" computers, says McAfee. The security company expects swine flu related spam will increase and that many may contain links to malicious websites.

The subject lines combine scare tactics with celebrities the spammers think recipients might be interested in:

· First US swine flu victims!
· US swine flu statistics
· Salma Hayek caught swine flu!
· Swine flu worldwide!
· Swine flu in Hollywood!
· Swine flu in USA
· Madonna caught swine flu!

McAfee says there also has been an increase in the number of domain names containing references to swine flu, which could indicate a rise in malicious websites.

As always, watch what you click, and ignore, delete and report spam messages appearing in your inbox.

Email hoax - MSN is closing down

Some friends have dropped me a message over IM to inquire if MSN was really closing down. I shook my head when I received the messages. First thing that comes to mind - email hoax.

The content of the hoax is as follows:

"Hey it is Andy and john the directors of MSN, sorry for the interruption but msn is closing down. this is because too many inconsiderate people are taking up all the name (eg making up lots of different accounts for just one person), we only have 578 names left. If you would like to close your account, DO NOT SEND THIS MESSAGE ON. If you would like to keep your account, then SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST. This is no joke, we will be shutting down the servers. Send it on, thanks.

WHO EVER DOES NOT SEND THIS MESSEAGE, YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE CLOSED AND YOU WILL COST £10.00 A MONTH TO USE. SEND THIS TO EVERYONE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST. NOW YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO. PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD THIS or REPLAY. COPY THE WHOLE EMAIL. GO BACK TO YOUR INBOX AND CLICK ON NEW. AND PASTE THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION"

I went to Google and checked out the authenticity of the email, and my guess was right. It's an email hoax, documented right here.

So pls do your part, and stop forwarding such emails. It saves bandwidth, and save your time too.