Social Networking Scams
|  Video
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| Lisa Green |
| 11/5/2009 |
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| Every day, criminals are come up with more ways to separate you from your money. A new scam has surfaced with the popularity of online social networking. No question Facebook is a major social tool for college students. "I would say that at least 95-percent of them easily are on Facebook or some other social network like that one," says Facebook user Jorge Aubinel. But a new generation is getting in on status updates. "Older people are now using it, and they`re going on both Facebook and Twitter," says NDSU professor Andrew Mara. "So that`s where the money is often, and that`s where they`re going." Where`s there`s money, there`s someone looking to take it, and Facebook and Twitter now provide a huge pool of victims for another phishing scam targeting your inbox. "Kind of an old trick, but now they`re using the websites that are popular," says Mara. The email advises Facebook members to click on a link because there is a problem with or changes to their account. That link can download a type of malware that records keystrokes, including bank account numbers. "Okay, definitely not good," Mara says. "That`s for sure." Mara studies new media. He says it`s a scam that`s easy to fall for. 4"Most people know that if you get an email from someone in Nigeria claiming to be royalty, you don`t respond to it, but people aren`t used to Facebook or something that looks like Facebook or Twitter being sent to them and it being suspect," he says. "I`m going to be aware now for sure. I don`t want my bank account going around or anything. Wouldn`t be good," says Aubinel. Mara has this advice: If you are suspicious about an e-mail, always go to the source first before you click on anything. Log in to your Facebook account the way you usually do, and if everything seems normal, delete and block that e-mail. |
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