14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook scammers are tricking users into giving rogue applications access to their profiles by promising them the ability to see who blocked them.
The spam messages unknowingly sent by people who fell victim to these scam are poorly spelled and somewhat creepy.
They read: "i cant believe how many people av removed me from your friends list! well i kno who you all r now, & im coming 2 get ya!"
They contain a link to an application called "Who Has Deleted Ya!" which claims to reveal "exactly who has removed you from their friends list."
The link takes users to a page which explains that the app regularly checks the friend lists of their contacts to see if they were removed. A popup is supposed to appear when something is detected.
Clicking the button to install the app prompts users for permission to post on their walls and read their profile data. This is the scam's propagation method and agreeing is obviously not a good idea.
Users who end up giving the rogue app access to their profiles will immediately begin sending spam from their own profile.
They are also asked to complete a free offer which allegedly gives them a chance at winning an iPhone 4 & iPad. Getting involved in this carries a great risk to their personal information and can even end in unwanted bills.
Scammers earn hefty commission through affiliate marketing schemes for driving traffic to these surveys and offers, which are never free. Of course, there's no seeing who removed who from their friends list either, because this functionality is simply not possible on Facebook.
People who fell for this trick are advised to revoke the permissions of the rogue app by going to Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites. Removing the spam messages from their walls is equally important.
