Security Experts Warn Facebook Users Against Deactivate Account Scam

Security experts at Sunbelt Software have released a warning that Facebook members should remain cautious of a fake e-mail that pretends to have come from the website, as reported by Webuser on June 7, 2010.

The e-mail contains a message that their Facebook account has been deactivated after receiving request. However, the account can be reactivated if they click on the given link and enter their login details.

As per the security experts, the e-mail is characterized by authentic looking elements. In fact, the embedded link - http://www.facebook.com/home.php. - seem quite fine and legitimate, but the actual link lead to a spammy site. If the user clicks on the "Sign In" button, he would be taken to a website hosted on oursharp(dot)com.

The method of deceiving Facebook users seems to be a spam instead of a phishing scam because the link directs them to the website selling pharmaceutical products, said the security experts.

According to the reports, the scam has made appearance just few after the huge uproar on the privacy setting changes on Facebook that led to boycott by thousands of website members.

After the disclosures of privacy setting changes, a large number of Facebook users began to search methods of revoking their accounts. Nearly 3000 to 5000 users were searching methods to delete their accounts against 1,000 people per day.

Christopher Boyd, a security expert, Sunbelt Software, said that he believed that there should be no surprise that people were pondering over the issue of canceling their Facebook accounts or not, spammers jumped to the occasion and stated that they would never see their farm or fortune cookie applications again, as reported by Webuser on June 7, 2010.

Boyd further said that he was happy to see that spammers didn't have the brainwave to take users to a phishing pace. Had the spammers followed the phishing method, it would have taken long time to exactly tell how many cows were on FarmVille, said Boyd.

Hence, the security experts have advised users that they should protect themselves and do not respond to the request for personal information. Users should closely check the website they are visiting and keep their computers updated.

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» SPAMfighter News - 6/15/2010