Malicious Facebook and Social Networking Website Video Post Tagging Scams
Cyber-criminals are currently posting fake video posts like the one below on social networking websites, especially Facebook, with the intention of tricking online users into signing up for premium phone services, downloading and installing Trojan horses and other malware, which they will use to hijack the victims’ computers. They may steal the victims’ important documents, user names, passwords, personal and financial information by remotely accessing the victims' computers from anywhere around the world, once the victims have installed the malicious program or software that they were tricked into downloading and installing.
With the victims' information, the cyber-criminals will be able to access their online bank and other online accounts, and steal their money. They may also use the accounts to do other fraudulent activities.
One of the Malicious Video Tagging Scams
Once the users tag and click on the video scam thinking they will be able to watch it, they will be taken to a malicious website that will detect the operating system that they are using and redirect them to a website that is able to take advantage of it. Remember, there is no video.
In the example below, the scam is attempting to trick an online user into installing a Trojan horse or malicious computer program, by claiming that the user cannot watch the video unless they install Adobe Flash Player.
Fake Adobe Flash Player Download and Update
Unfortunately, the video can not be opened..
Please Update the Adobe Flash Player.. Please Run the installFlashPlayer.exe
After the installation is complete and try again!..
The user, wanting to watch the video, will click on the link, thinking he/she is installing Adobe Flash Player. But, the user will only download a malicious program disguised as Adobe Flash Player that will infect his/her computer with Trojan horse that will open a back door on the user's computer for cyber-criminals to gain access to it from anywhere around the world.
Remember, never click on a link to install Adobe Flash Player, always go directly to Adobe's website at http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ to update it instead.
If Adobe’s Flash Player website states that your computer already has the latest version of Flash Player installed, and a website is still asking you to click on a link to update, the website should not be trusted.
This article is related the following:
- Fake Adobe Flash Player Malicious Download, Upgrade or Installation Links
- Malicious Download: Your Version of Flash Player for Chrome is Outdated
- Malicious Advertisement: Adobe Flash Player HD
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.