MUMBAI/BANGALORE, INDIA: IT security and control firm Sophos cautioned Facebook users about a new scam that is spreading quickly across the social network pretending to be a link to a photograph of a baby boy taken by his mother.
The messages which are being posted on users' Facebook pages read:
"OMG!!Guys, you have to see this: This mother went to jail for taking this pic of her son!"
According to a company release, similar to the recent ‘Never Gonna Drink Coca-Cola Again’ scam, the attack encourages users to ‘like’ a Facebook page, tricking them into sharing the link on their wall before they are able to access the image.
According to a Sophos release, when users have completed these necessary steps, a fake security check then appears asking users to take part in an online survey.
Watch: Video, demonstrating the attack
The scammers make money from directing traffic to the online surveys, which gather personal information. In some cases the surveys claim that participants will be sent a free iPad as a prize for participating.
Also read: How operators can prevent attacks?
"I really feel like despairing that the general public will ever learn to avoid dodgy links like this," said Graham Cluley, Senior Technology Consultant at Sophos. "Criminals these days don't need to spam out their scams - they can rely on the public to spread them for them. Far too many people are prepared to endorse and share links on Facebook without properly thinking about what they are doing. In this case, they're doing it before they have any clue about what lies behind the page."