14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook members may come across a post that advertises a video which might cause viewers to lose all their respect for Rihanna, the famous singer.
“OMG – I just hate Rihanna after watching this video. [LINK] you will lost your all respect for RIHANNA after watching this,” reads the shady message.
Sophos reports that once the link from the post is clicked, the unsuspecting user is taken to a website that urges him/her to share the scheme in order to “start the video.”
Those who fall for the scam and share it with their Facebook friends are presented with a classic survey that promises Starbucks gift cards, Tesco gift cards, an iPad2, and a 52” Sony Bravia HDTV.
If the survey is completed, the crooks earn a certain amount of money from the site that hosts the poll, but the victims never win anything, as in all other similar situations.
Plots that advertise shameful videos that feature Rihanna or other celebrities are not new, but they’re clearly a money-maker for the masterminds that launch them.
Internauts who fell for the scam are advised to remove all the messages that may have been posted to their Wall. The shady post can also be reported to Facebook to ensure that others won’t be exposed to it.
Those who didn’t come into contact with it are recommended to be on the lookout and avoid responding to the requests it makes to discourage the scammers from starting other, similar campaigns.
There are some companies that launch contests on social media websites and usually a Share or a Like is requested to enter the competition. However, legitimate firms don’t lure users with outrageous videos and they certainly never ask them to take shady surveys or install some codec that’s allegedly needed to view content.