14 DAY TRIAL // Security researchers warn that Facebook users are being tricked into installing a rogue application, which claims to show a list of people who visited their profiles. The spam is part of an affiliate marketing scam.
The spam messages reads "Are you being Stalked?" and contains a link called "See who has viewed your profile." Clicking on the link will request permission for an application called "WhosWatchingYou" to access your profile information and post messages on your wall.
"Don't be tempted... Once you grant that permission you will be put in the unenviable position of enticing your friends and family to fall for the same scam with an automated post to your wall," Rik Ferguson, solutions architect at Trend Micro, warns. "In the meantime you are redirected to yet another affiliate marketing based moneyspinner for the scammers," he adds.
The new landing page claims to be a security check that involves verifying your profile by participating in a simple survey. Despite promises of free stuff and easy wins, these surveys are only meant to gather even more personal information from you - which will most likely be sold to marketers - and subscribe you to some premium service.
This is not the first time that the ruse of viewing profile visitors has been used in Facebook scams. Unfortunately, this suggests that enough users are taking the bait and fall for such cheap tricks.
Users should know that it is impossible for any Facebook application, rogue or legit, to compile a list of a profile visitors. This is because no such feature exists in the Facebook API and, given its privacy implications, it will probably never be implemented either.
Security researchers advise users to be suspicious of any link being sent to them through Facebook, even if it comes from one of their friends or family members. Just yesterday we reported on a different scam advertising free iPads. In cases like this one, let the old saying "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is" guide you.