14 DAY TRIAL // Security researchers came across a classic scam that’s enhanced with some highly ingenious ways of making sure that the malicious plot spreads from one Facebook profile to the other. Bitdefender experts found that the new breed of scams advertises a video that features a police officer that does a good deed before dying.
Users who click on the link hoping to see a hero in action are actually led to a page that urges them to install a so-call YouTube Player browser extension which once installed gains access to data on all the visited websites and even browsing activities/
Unlike other similar schemes which are satisfied with posting some messages on the victim’s and his friends’ Facebook walls, this one goes the extra mile and spreads the phony video on all the pages ever Liked by the unsuspecting user.
Furthermore, the malicious plot even tags some of the customer’s friends to make sure that once the scam spreads, potential victims see that others were "With" the user while he was watching the video.
This is just another example of the importance of Privacy Settings in Facebook and other major social networks.
Tagjacking schemes are not new, but as we can clearly observe, they’re constantly improved to ensure that as many people as possible install the phony extension or participate in classic survey scams that fill the crooks’ pockets with loads of money from affiliate marketing sites.
Facebook users are recommended to access the Privacy Settings page and under the How Tags Work option click on the Edit button. In this menu, the Profile Review (Timeline Review for accounts with Timeline activated) and the Tag Review options should be set accordingly, depending on each user’s preferences.
While privacy is highly important and users should take their time to configure their setting on social media accounts, there is always an easy way to make sure that these scams won’t affect you. Never click on any suspicious links that promise out of the ordinary videos and never install dubious browser extensions.