‘Twilight’ Game Scam Hits Facebook Accounts with Virus

Facebook, the well-known social-networking Internet site, during 2010, reportedly encountered quite a bit of viruses and scams that boar association with famous personalities while actively targeting their fans. Currently, Sophos the security company says, Internet fraudsters are disseminating malevolent web-links that take onto an online game on Facebook derived from the forthcoming movie "Twilight Breaking Dawn," published PR Product Reviews in news on April 12, 2011.

To be specific, the web-links that divert unwitting users lead them onto a Facebook web-page offering an Internet game named exactly like the film. And incase anyone hits on "play now" embedded on the page, a "like" button appears, supposedly, producing the game. Thereafter, the malevolent web-link gets sent to all the friends of the Facebook user.

Now, everything in this interaction takes place so effortlessly that it nearly becomes impossible for the users to realize the trick and they go for the "like" button of the harmful game as well as pass it onto other contacts. Subsequently, the Facebook members are suggested to allow an intermediary party to access their accounts.

Expectedly, the scammers, now being able to deliver the malicious web-link to the victims' accounts, execute their ultimate trick that of an Internet questionnaire that earns them reward whenever they can get a victim to fill it out.

Stated Brett Myroff CEO of Sophos South Africa that the application was really phony, which attempted at churning cash through the exploitation of Twilight fans. PR Product Review published this.

Meanwhile, according to Facebook, it doesn't articulate anything about the specific attack incidences or the number of them; therefore, it isn't clear as to what extent the scam is widespread. Nevertheless, Facebook has said that it's presently trying to locate the source of the scam and doing everything for blocking the spammy channels. Cnet News published this on April 12, 2011.

Moreover, Sophos believes that if any user has been harmed owing to the scam, he should remove the application after opting for "application settings." Besides, he must ensure that he has deleted every wall-post regarding the so-called game as also advises his friends for doing likewise.

Related article: “Loopholes did not cause online banking thefts”: ICBC

» SPAMfighter News - 4/19/2011