After the death of Michael Jackson, for many months this conspiracy seemed to prevail among people that the Prince of Pop didn’t really die but faked his own death. These crazy theories continued to blossom among MJ’s diehard fans like a stick in the mud for a great period of time. Regardless of how ridiculous it sounds, people seriously believed in this rumor and curiosity leapt all over them.
This is precisely the kind of thing that the internet bad guys have always been looking for. So, when some scary internet guys tried and took advantage of the situation and exploited the emotions of MJ’s fans, it didn’t really come surprising. After all, that’s all these cyber criminals are searching for.
So, let’s start with the scam story. A message was reported to have been posted on people’s wall on Facebook and sent to their inboxes. The apparently real lookingMessage stated something like this:
Did Michael Jackson fake his death? Look at this video! http://bit.ly/dDbCMx
MJ’s hopeful fans will waste no time in jumping onto the video link to see if their Prince of Pop is coming back or not. And that’s where the trouble starts. Clicking on the misleading link takes you to a colorful image of Michael Jackson in his traditional dressing and style. The page will ask you to click on that image, which while so excited to know the truth behind the story, you will hastily rush to and will fall directly into the trap of these ghoulish hackers.
Here’s how it happens. You click on the image and your browser will take you to a third-party Facebook application. Now, you must get this naggy feeling that something is wrong in the bottom and you are not being treated honestly. To watch a video, all you need is a link and not a Facebook application. But sadly, many people over internet are so thrilled to find out the truth that they will over look these buzzing alarms and will give away the access of their profile to that application.
These hackers don’t want to disappoint you too, so they’ll eventually take you to the video player where you can see the video. But, it’s too late to think about protecting your Facebook profile from being accessed by unknown hackers, whatever the purpose they’ll use it for.
Even if you entered into the false trap unknowingly, you have practically handed them over the keys to your own house-which is scary. Your personal information can be anonymously scoured through, rifled with or your own account can be used as a source to spread spam messages.
Now, how do you stay safe? Here’s how you can avoid scams like these.
While using Facebook, keep a watchful eye out for all the links that take you to a third part application. Remember, not every third party application is a trusted application and it can, fraudulently, take away your personal information from your Facebook account by fooling you into entering them. Moreover, if you think you came across the similar scam, please revoke the application’s permission to access your Facebook account.
Go to Account/ Privacy Settings/ Applications and Websites. Remove all the unwanted or spam applications, or at the very least turn them off. That way you can stop these hackers from accessing or using your personal account.
If you want to stay safe and want to learn more about internet threats and how to be safe from them, do visit our Facebook page and Stay Safe!