14 DAY TRIAL // We were starting to wonder how much time would pass until we got to see another one of those “you must pay to remain a Facebook member” hoaxes. It seems we didn’t have to wait too long.
This particular scam has been doing the rounds for quite some time now, but it doesn’t appear to fade away. On the contrary, experts are spotting it on the walls of more and more Facebook users.
Here’s what the scammy message looks like:
Facebook just released their price grid for membership. $9.99 per month for gold member services, $6.99 per month for silver member services, $3.99 per month for bronze member services, free if you copy and paste this message before midnight tonight.
When you sign on tomorrow morning you will be prompted for payment. it is official it was even on the news. Facebook will start charging due to the new profile changes. if you copy this on your wall your icon will turn blue and Facebook will be free for you. Please pass this message on...
To make everything seem urgent, the pranksters have written the entire thing in capital letters (we’ve arranged it a bit to make it easier to read).
As Sophos researchers highlight, Facebook might not be in top shape - at least as far as its stock price is concerned – but that doesn’t mean the company will start charging customers any time soon.
Once again, we advise internauts to refrain from spamming their friends with unfounded claims. Spreading such messages is just as dangerous as spreading a link to a malicious website, because the popularity of such hoaxes could be easily leveraged by cybercriminals to trick users into visiting malware-laden sites.
Unfortunately, as Sophos’ Graham Cluley points out, it’s much easier for Facebook users to simply share a scam than to take a moment to check out if it’s actually legitimate.