14 DAY TRIAL // Cybercriminals are currently attracting Facebook users into an online survey trap by distributing a post with an image claiming to lead to a video of a new species that may be related to humans, discovered in Africa.
The scam has been recycled from similar operations that have been seen online since at least June 2014. Some of them are still available, promoted under a different title, but all leading to risky websites.
“The Young Family” is once again used as a lure
This post on Facebook, for instance, has been available since October last year and purports to lead to the story of the discovery of a weird looking creature, but a redirect is performed and the user is diverted to the site of a mobile app that promises phone credit for different operators in India, in exchange for completing online surveys and polls; the app is listed on Google Play.
The latest scam resorts to the same picture, which is of a 2002 sculpture by Patricia Piccinini named “The Young Family.”
As Hoax Slayer points out, this is a classic deceit, and the end goal is to make victims complete as many online surveys as possible before they abandon the desire to watch the footage of the oddly looking creature. With each survey completed, the crooks earn a commission.
Danger is not immediate
It all looks like an innocent deceit, but the polls ask for some personal data such as phone number or email address, which are then shared with third-party marketers. This is actually one of the causes for unsolicited calls and emails.
However, in some cases, the supplied mobile phone number is automatically subscribed to premium-rate services, Hoax Slayer says. With email addresses, phishing and spam can be conducted.
Before rushing into clicking links to reach details of some incredible news shared on social network, users should first check if the topic has been covered by major reputable publications. If there is no hint of the discovery, than it is probably a fake, and steering away from the post is the safest course of action.
