Linked – Facebook offers: why they could be too good to be true
At first the posts are relatively harmless. Many Facebook users don’t see the issue with liking or sharing a post.
After thousands of people catch on to the post, Facebook algorithms automatically identify the content as valuable and popular. The algorithm then floats the scam to the top of millions of newsfeeds around the world.After these pages have reached thousands of likes, the scammers alter their content to trick people into giving out personal information or coerce them into downloading software by clicking a virus ridden link. These pages are also often sold on the cyber black market so owners can change the entire contents of the page to launch survey scams or other shady activity.
I see so many of these obviously fake offers shared on social media, under the guise of “it doesn’t hurt”, or “Just in case it’s true”. Umm yeah, it does hurt. It’s a scam, and by sharing it, you are perpetuating it, and potentially exposing all of your contacts to something that might just be trying to hack their social media accounts.
Plus, if you’re sharing these kinds of things frequently, how are we supposed to take you seriously when you share something important?
Follow these topics: Links, SocialNetworking
Nancy Epperly Netherland liked this on Facebook.