Facebook scammers target religion

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Facebook scammers target religion
Posted May 13, 2013 - 03:31 by Nermin Hajdarbegovic

Facebook scammers are increasingly trying to imitate American religious leaders and rake in some easy money.

Since they are tapping an ample supply of gullible fans, business seems to be going well.

The Kansas City Star reports that one scammer has created a fake page impersonating Rev. Adam Hamilton, who uses his legitimate Facebook page to keep in touch with his 18,000-member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. The scammer, of course, doesn’t really care about the flock, he just wants to raise cash by peddling phony church mission projects.

It is not an isolated case, either. Facebook scammers have targeted some of the best known evangelists such as Joel Osteen, Rick Warren and Craig Groeschel, with mixed results. Scammers also impersonated Bob Coy, Frank Santora, as well as a megachurch in Connecticut and a pastor in South Africa, who died 16 years ago.

It remains unclear how many followers were duped into handing over their hard earned cash to scammers - by which we mean Facebook scammers, not TV evangelists. Churches that have been targeted say that Facebook takes down phony pages on a routine basis, but as soon as it does, another one simply pops up.

Reverend Hamilton said he went out of his way to try and warn his congregation of potential fraud.

“It sounds to me like another Nigerian scam,” he said.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, the scheme is much more sophisticated that an average Nigerian scam, as it relies on real identity theft rather than fairytales about princes and hidden billions.
More Like This

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BlackBerry friend request glitch may complicate Facebook cloning scam

Lauren Granger: Staff Reporter By Lauren Granger: Staff Reporter
05.29.13 |

facebook world

The recent spate of Facebook cloning attacks in South Africa has left many users looking at friend requests in a new light. The scam, which involves duplicating existing Facebook accounts and then sending the victim’s friends requests to connect, has left users wondering why their ‘friends’ are sending them new requests and then asking for money. But deciding on whether it is a request from a ‘real’ imposter account or not could be complicated by the fact that Facebook’s mobile app for BlackBerry phones seems to be sending users ‘ghost’ friend requests.

Facebook’s community help forums are littered with questions from BlackBerry users, who say that they receive requests from friends they have already added on the platform. When accepting these requests, they are met with an error stating that Facebook could not process the action, but many have continued receiving repeated notifications that their current friends would like to connect on Facebook. The requests do not appear on the desktop version of Facebook and there is no evidence of any duplicate accounts, suggesting that it is an issue with the BlackBerry app.

The issue has also been included in unfavourable reviews of the app on BlackBerry World and in BlackBerry support forums, with smartphone users questioning why they are getting “ghost friend requests from current friends” and saying that the notifications will not “go away,” whether they confirm or ignore the request.

This isn’t to say that scammers using the Facebook cloning technique aren’t also active in the country, as the social media site has removed numerous imposter accounts over the past few years. But South Africa is also one of BlackBerry’s strongest markets, with some research suggesting that it holds as much as 18% of total cellphone marketshare, and that as 48% of the smartphones sold in the country were designed by the Canadian manufacturer. The high level of BlackBerry usage, coupled with the spread of the scam, may have made identifying duplicate profiles more difficult.

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HOW TO: Avoid Facebook Scams
Justin Lafferty on May 27, 2013 1:52 PM

Scams are all over Facebook. There are stories telling users that Facebook will end on a certain date, miracle diet pills, celebrity sex tapes, and other shady posts. With a little vigilance, though, users can make sure that they’re not continuing the chain. Miranda Perry, staff writer for Scambook, spoke with AllFacebook about ways that people can make sure that they’re not giving away information to scammers or spamming their friends’ News Feeds with malicious links.

Scambook is a complaint-resolution platform where customers can air their grievances and let others know about unscrupulous business practices and identity theft. The company also informs people of scams on social media, using its blog to write about the newest hoaxes that are going viral on Facebook.

Perry shared with AllFacebook some ways that users can protect themselves (and their friends) from Facebook scams.
Consider The Source

One of the most common Facebook scams involves links that either infect computers with malware or automatically share content to users’ Timelines. Perry said that by taking a couple of extra seconds to examine not only suspicious links, but the people who shared them, people can protect themselves.

For instance, if a fitness buff friend shares a link showing how she’s lost 30 pounds by using a weird old trick, or if a pastor shares a link purportedly showing Rihanna’s sex tape, odds are extremely high that it’s a scam. Perry said red flags should go up whenever someone shares something to Facebook that seems atypical of their nature. If users truly aren’t sure, Perry recommends calling or contacting that person offline to see if their account has been compromised:

The No. 1 step is just to look at the source and avoid clicking on links or sharing anything on Facebook that seems suspicious. For instance, if you know that your friend is a super-skinny athlete, they are probably not going to be telling you that they’ve just used weight loss pills. If they’re posting that on their Timeline, that’s a pretty good sign that their account has been hacked.

Essentially, if something in your News Feed seems suspicious, it’s best to avoid clicking it and let that user know.
Facebook Hacks Can Be Scams

We all know that Facebook changes rapidly and without notice. But when the site does change something majorly, it goes through official channels to notify users. If you’re seeing something in your News Feed such as the ability to change the color of your Facebook account (or really do anything to make it look more like your old MySpace page), chances are extremely high that it’s a scam.

Last year, several people shared the Facebook Black scam, which reportedly allowed users to go from Facebook’s traditional blue-and-white scheme to black — but all it did in reality was lead users to complete online surveys, earning money for scammers. Similar hoaxes on Facebook have tricked users into thinking they could change their schemes to pink or red.

Perry said that users should be suspicious of any Facebook product, hack, or change that isn’t announced or supported by Facebook itself. Legitimate new features and changes (as well as hoaxes and scams) are covered regularly on AllFacebook, as well as sister site Inside Facebook.

Be Cautious With Video

Perry said many scammers are using videos to lure users into giving up personal information or putting malware onto computers. While videos may look legitimate and indistinguishable from legitimate YouTube posts, there are a few clues that users can find to see if they are safe: Look for the youtube.com domain name on videos, and be suspicious of videos with keywords or domain names you haven’t heard of.

Perry described how video scams work on Facebook:

In some cases, it will say, “LOL OMG, did you see this new video? I can’t believe someone caught that on film!” or “I can’t believe they got you on film.” When you click on this link, it doesn’t take you to an actual YouTube video, or any kind of clip that you can watch — it takes you to a website to prompt you to download some kind of a “Flash update,” or Javascript update, when in fact what you end up downloading is malware, which is then going to infect your computer.

Perry also talked about how with any link, how important it is to make sure the domain is correct. Many times, scammers will post innocent-looking links (such as one telling you that your Facebook account has been hacked and you need to reset your password), but the domain name will be unwieldy or suspicious. Before clicking, mouse over the link and check the domain name.
What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed?

Some tips, if you’ve already clicked on a scam link on Facebook:

Immediately delete that link from your Timeline.
Change your password, as well as any other online passwords you have saved, such as for your bank account or email.
Let friends know that the link you’ve shared accidentally is a scam.

Some other tips to make sure it doesn’t happen again:

Check your privacy settings often.
Double-check if something looks suspicious.
Make sure that the link you’ve clicked on is a secure site. Look in the address bar for https with a lock, verifying the site’s security.
Enlist trusted contacts.
Make sure you have good antivirus software.
Check your active sessions, to make sure someone else isn’t logged into your account.

HOW TO: Avoid Facebook Scams - AllFacebook (http://allfacebook.com/how-to-avoid-facebook-scams_b118320)

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Phishing Scam Targets Facebook Page Users

The fake 'Fan Page Verification Program' is designed to trick victims into disclosing their login credentials.
By Jeff Goldman | May 29, 2013

Hoax-Slayer is warning of a new phishing scam leveraging e-mails that claim to come from Facebook Security and ask the recipient to take part in the new "Fan Page Verification Program" (h/t Sophos).

The e-mail ask recipients to click on a link and choose a 10-digit security code to complete the process -- and that if they don't do so by May 30, 2013, their page will be suspended.

If you click on the link in the e-mail, though, you'll be directed to a fake "Fan Page Verification Program" Web page, where you'll be asked for your Facebook login details.

There are several clues that it's a scam, though, including the broken English on the phishing page, which states, "Please write a 10 digit number and also remember to write it down in a piece of paper too because it is really important to remember it. Later on, when you need to transfer Admin Roles or change Important settings for your Fan Page, you will need this code."

Phishing Scam Targets Facebook Page Users - eSecurity Planet (http://www.esecurityplanet.com/network-security/phishing-scam-targets-facebook-page-users.html)

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3 Charged In NJ Facebook Scam
May 15, 2013 10:56 AM

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — In early 2012, the three men were making an attractive offer: the opportunity to purchase Facebook stock just as the company was expected to go public.

The problem, prosecutors allege, is that the men had no connection to the stock or the company and defrauded a potential investor out of $6.7 million.

Federal prosecutors charged Aaron Muschel, 63, of Brooklyn; and Alex Schleider, 47, and Eliyahu Weinstein, 37, both of Lakewood, N.J., with wire fraud conspiracy. Muschel and Weinstein also were charged with transacting in criminal proceeds and Weinstein also faces an additional four counts of wire fraud while he was on pretrial release.

“According to the charges, the defendants took advantage of the buzz around the Facebook IPO to fleece unsuspecting investors,” U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in referring to Facebook’s initial public offering last year.

The three men appeared in federal court Tuesday. Weinstein, who has yet to be sentenced in another criminal case, was ordered held; Schleider was released on $1 million cash bond; and Muschel was released on bail secured by property. Their lawyers didn’t comment to news reporters.

Prosecutors allege the three men wired the money from their Facebook scheme among accounts and used it for personal gain, including extending loans to a rabbi and his Brooklyn congregation in exchange for interests in life insurance policies. They allegedly told the investor that the venture would be backed by assets, including a Park Avenue property worth $12 million that did not exist.

Prosecutors allege Weinstein used the money to make a gold deal in Africa and write a $75,000 check to a Newark law firm that was representing him in another case.

Facebook declined comment Tuesday.

Last year, Weinstein pleaded guilty to money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy. Authorities said he ran a $200 million real estate scheme, using bogus documents, to get people to invest in property, much of which he did not own. Weinstein used the proceeds to fund a lavish lifestyle. He faces up to 25 years in prison in that case.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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