14 DAY TRIAL // Unscrupulous scammers are at work on Facebook again, this time exploiting people's interest into the untimely death of English singer Amy Winehouse.
News broke out on Saturday that 27-year-old Grammy award winning singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her house in Camden, London.
Two ambulances arrived at the scene and she was pronounced dead on arrival. The cause of death has not yet been determined and police are treating it as unexplained.
The singer was recovering from series of health issues, possibly related to her drug and alcohol habits, that led to her canceling her European tour last month.
As news about her untimely death traveled the world, more and more people turned to the Internet to search for the latest details, making the event a trending topic on search engines and social networking websites.
Security researchers warn that Facebook scammers are tricking people into participating in surveys and spamming their friends with fake videos allegedly related to Amy Winehouse's death.
Some of the spam messages seen since she passed away, read:
"Amy Winehouse is dead!! Leaked Video!! Amy Winehouse On Crack hours before death. Amy Winehouse getting high on crack just hours before she died."
"Video leaked of amy winehouse's death!!! Warning: Graphical Content. Amy Winehouse OVERDOSE VIDEO LEAKED! - RIP AMY"
"Wow, no wonder tbh. Amy Winehouse Night Before Death Video. Warning : 18+" or "SHOCKING - Amy Winehouse's Final Minutes. A video has surfaced of Amy Winehouse's final minutes."
Clicking on any of the advertised links takes users to pages that trick them into re-posting the spam messages and participating in surveys. The offers have strings attached and can end up costing users a lot of money.
Scammers earn commission for every individual who completes one of these surveys. "Scammers are like vultures, feeding off tragedies such as the death of Amy Winehouse or the horrific events in Norway," said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos.
People who fell victims to these scams should remove the spam messages from their walls, unlike any rogue pages and uninstall any apps associated with them.