Facebook & SCAM ads

[markderail]

Now Facebook is displaying Ads that are obvious scams, leading to ID theft and fraud.




For Canadians, it pops up a lot with Prime Minister Harper holding a cheque, and it leads to how to sign up to get government grant money. It sends you to CanadaKits.com

IT LOOKS VERY REAL ! "Get 7,000 a month"


Except, after picking up your credit card info and your personal details, the Submit buttons doesn't lead anywhere.

Of course I didn't use my real number, and someone with the email address of Fuk You (at) gmail.com will be getting extra info

Back to being angry !

I did then Thumbs Down icon on the Ad, choose Other, and sent Facebook some very nasty feedback.
EVERY TIME IT CAME UP. Perhaps someone will notice?

So, are any Americans being offered Can $ grant money? Or is Facebook actually complicit with the Scammers and only putting up the Ads to Canadians?

Just imagine some poor kid wanting to help his Mom, getting her credit card # out of her purse, entering all the personal information, even the rear #'s CVS behind the card. Dear Lord.

Any other Facebook users, let's get the message across to Facebook and do the same, Thumb Down the Scam Ads, whenever they appear.

[daniel]

I signed up for myspace. I don't remember why. I gave them a disposable address that I have used nowhere else. And now I get spam at that address. Fortunately, I just ignore it because I have not used that myspace account since signing up for it. Some day when I have nothing better to do I'll delete the account and kill the disposable address.

I imagine that myspace and facebook are more or less the same thing, and a magnet for spam and scams.

[moxiequz]

They're both social networking sites but they've very much different beasties. Frankly Daniel I have a hard time picturing you as the "myspace" type. Most myspace pages I see make my brain hurt. It's like a deliberate assault on good taste.

I like Facebook for the most part. They used to have a very nice, simple, clean interface but as with all good things they didn't know enough to leave it alone. I still use Facebook regularly though and even now it's much more elegant than myspace.

It's a good way to get/keep in touch with people you know that aren't near you geographically such as friends from high school and college, people you meet while traveling, and of course fellow Prius Chatters.

I gave them my real address and didn't notice any particular increase in spam.

Any site that attracts a large diverse audience is going to attract scammers. It's inevitable. You can easily avoid that though. Just "friend" people you know well in real life. Don't add any applications or games (unless it's MafiaWars - in which case be sure to friend me!). Refuse any unsolicited requests you receive. You can also restrict who can search for you, view your profile, etc.

Anywho...

As for the ads - Mark I noticed the same type of ad with Obama and a "rebate check". I kept getting those ads no matter how many times I clicked the thumbs down button and marked the ad as "Offensive". I stopped seeing them when I installed the AdBlock Plus extension on Firefox.

[jayman]

A SCAM? On the INTERNET? Say it isn't so!

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by jayman

A SCAM? On the INTERNET? Say it isn't so!

What's the world coming to?

There is a way to make all of these scams stop through an online registration service. If you want me to do it for you, PM me with the following information:

1) Full legal name.
2) Birth date.
3) Social Security Number.
4) Drivers License state and number.
5) All bank account information including PINs.
6) Mother's maiden name.
7) Your place of birth.
8) Name of your first dog.
9) Name of your first pet goldfish.
10) Dental records.

I'll get right on it for you.

Tom

[jayman]

Originally Posted by qbee42

.
9) Name of your first pet goldfish.

You better not be desecrating the memory of my beloved Goldie!

You're a monster!

[hyo silver]

I never had a goldfish. My first pet was probably a snake I brought home for my Mom. She wouldn't let him in, though. Me either, that day.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by hyo silver

I never had a goldfish. My first pet was probably a snake I brought home for my Mom. She wouldn't let him in, though. Me either, that day.

If your snake had a name, you can use that instead. Otherwise just leave that field empty. Only the bank account information is mandatory.

Tom

[hyo silver]

Oh, in that case, I could just post it here.

Speaking of Facebook, I should check in there again sometime.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by hyo silver

Oh, in that case, I could just post it here.

Speaking of Facebook, I should check in there again sometime.

Many of us are on Facebook. It's not anything special, but it is an easy way to share photos and exchange random thoughts. If you do, we can hook you up with a lot of the same people you find here.

Tom