14 DAY TRIAL // A new survey scam targeting FarmVille players is currently spreading on Facebook by luring people to surveys with promises of a limited edition Husky.
According to Facecrooks, the spam message spread by the scam's victims reads: "Do you want to claim this Husky? [user] came across a Husky on their farm! This Husky is available for a limited time!"
The included link takes users to a rogue Facebook page displaying the FarmVille logo and a dialog asking them if they want to accept the "Limited Edition Husky" reward.
Clicking "Yes" prompts users to publish the spam message on their wall. Agreeing to do this will direct the user to another dialog asking them if they want to try a "farm cash mission" in order to earn 155 farm cash, the currency use in FarmVille.
Clicking the "Accept" button will prompt yet another window instructing the user to complete one of several surveys in order to claim their prize.
Of course there is no prize and all this is a ruse to trick people into taking up one of these offers, earning scammers commission money in the process. In addition, some of these so-called surveys are deceptive and can sign up users for premium rate services billed to their mobile phone.
Survey scams using FarmVille themes are nothing new and with over 50 million players, there are enough potential victims around. The scams generally advertise free animals and free farm cash.
Unfortunately Facebook is not showing any significant improvements to the speed with which it can detect and close down these scams. The company did, however, make it easier for users to report the abuse.
People who fell victim to this scam should remove the rogue message from their wall by clicking the X that appears in the upper-right corner when hovering the mouse over it and selecting "Mark as Spam."